This silver teapot modelled in the form of an apple or melon was made by the brothers George and Charles Thomas Fox three years after registering their joint maker’s mark. Born into a family of silversmiths, they took over the firm founded by their grandfather in 1804. Fruit-shaped teapots were first introduced to British silverware design in the early Georgian period, while the 1760s and 1770s saw Staffordshire potters produce similar examples in lead-glazed earthenware. The teapot’s naturalistic shape and densely engraved surface – thought to imitate the appearance of certain melon varieties available during the 19th century – would have satisfied the Victorian taste for novelty and love of nature. The French motto Ne oublie (do not forget) engraved above the crest is typically associated with Scottish heraldry and thought to belong to clan Graham.
