This is an early example of a silver bullet teapot. The name ‘bullet’ refers to its spherical body, the shape of which is supposedly similar to the round lead musket ball. The bullet shape succeeded the earlier pear-shaped teapots and became especially fashionable during the reign of George I. As in this example, bullet teapots were typically plainly decorated with flat covers, cylindrical spouts and mounted on a stepped foot. This teapot is engraved on one side with a baroque coat of arms confirmed to a family of Pennington and is inscribed on the base with the initials D over I A.
