This type of teapot is known as a drum teapot due to its cylindrical form. The shape became fashionable from the 1760s, when the neoclassical style became fashionable in England and replaced the asymmetrical, extravagant ornament of the rococo. Drum-shaped teapots were constructed of sheet silver and were simpler and cheaper to make than raised teapots. Most drum teapots made during this period are decorated with simple bands of engraved decoration. This teapot features bands of decorative beading, swags of drapery and a ribbon-tied laurel leaf cartouche, motifs which were commonly used to embellish decorative objects and interiors during the neoclassical period. The engraved initials JKM in the cartouche were most likely for the owner of the teapot.
