Abraham Harrison Dry was a pawnbroker, a ‘general dealer’ of silver objects and briefly a silversmith based in Charing Cross, before becoming bankrupt in 1837. This silver teapot was made in the same year that Dry registered his maker’s mark. The blossoms and insects that decorate the teapot were created using the technique of chasing, whereby the metal surface is hammered from the exterior with various tools that raise or push aside the metal to create low-relief ornament. This teapot demonstrates the influence of ceramic design on British silver, as this example imitates the floral ornament on Meissen’s porcelain teawares made during the 18th century. For similar teapots made by Meissen, see nos. 1348 and 1347 in The Chitra Collection.
