The English silversmith Anthony Nelme (active 1679-1722) was the son of a Hereford Yeoman and was apprenticed to Richard Rowley in 1672. Following his training he successfully ran a large silversmithing business specialising in the production of large and spectacular plate for wealthy clients as well as municipal items and domestic plate. This teapot is an early example of the plain apple-shaped teapot on a collet foot which became fashionable during the 1720s and 1730s in particular. The stark and simple design of the teapot is typical of this period in Britain. The teapot has an elaborately decorated coat of arms engraved on the front which were most likely added at a much later date.
