Teapot

ARTIST / MAKER: Benjamin Preston (maker)
DATE: 1832 (made)
PLACE: England (made)
MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES: Silver with chased decoration
COLLECTION NUMBER: 501

This trophy teapot was presented to Mr Thomas Ensworth (1774-1857), the owner of Erato, the hound that won the Streatly Hare Coursing Match on 20th March 1840. Made by the silversmith Benjamin Preston, the teapot is finely chased with a woodland scene, in which hounds are depicted frenetically chasing a hare. During the Victorian period, silver teapots were often presented as trophies for gaming or for military valour, a tradition popularised by Queen Victoria herself.