Tara Coomber graduated in 1998 from the School of Jewellery, Birmingham, later achieving many awards for design, silversmithing and stone setting. The original design of this dramatic and elegant teapot was made in response to a brief, set in 1998 by Coomber’s tutor at Birmingham, Derek Birch, to create a teapot or coffee pot that could hold one litre of liquid. In 2004, four smaller teapots of the same design were produced, each holding 750 ml, of which this is one. Coomber has cited Henning Koppel’s (1918-1981) work for Georg Jensen as one of her earlier influences, admiring the organic quality of his silver pieces.
The teapot is simultaneously robust and delicate. The dark ebony coloured wood and sharp diagonal angles lends the work a sense of power, and yet it balances on the tiniest of points, creating the appearance of elevation. The dynamic momentum in its form suggests the leap forward into the 21st century.
