Condition:Good (surface wear and small dings; cleaned pewter; minor age cracks/wear to wooden handle)
Value:$150–$300 (auction)
Maker's Marks / Writing:Worn circular touchmark on base (device and letters unclear, possibly “I D E”); later hand-scratched note: “Very old dutch tea pot Probably circa 17th century.”
Date:2025-10-14 23:03:33.763939
Description:
Small cylindrical pewter teapot with domed lid and ball finial, straight spout, and a C‑shaped turned wooden handle attached with pewter ferrules. The lid is hinged with a simple lug-and-pin join. A worn circular touchmark appears on the underside, along with later hand-scratched writing. The proportions and simple molded foot ring are typical of late-18th to early-19th century Low Countries domestic pewter.
Curator Questions
Curated by Jade
Assessment:
A practical Dutch pewter teapot of provincial type. The underside bears a genuine but worn touchmark; the hand-scratched inscription claiming 17th century is a later owner/dealer note and is unlikely. Form, hinge, and wooden handle point to late 18th–early 19th century manufacture rather than the 1600s. Surface shows honest wear and minor knocks consistent with age; appears to have been cleaned at some point. A word about fakes.. pewter from the Netherlands and Germany is widely reproduced, and later pieces are often presented as 17th century; caution is warranted when dating and reading touchmarks.
Individual Images:
Photo of the underside shows: 1) a faint circular touchmark with indistinct device and letters resembling IDE; 2) later hand-scratched script reading “Very old dutch tea pot. Probably circa 17th century
” which is not original and should not be relied upon; 3) several small punch marks and age pits typical of worked pewter. Side view highlights the simple lug-and-pin hinge and the turned wooden handle with natural age toning; there is a small gap at the upper ferrule consistent with shrinkage of old wood. The rim and foot show scattered nicks commensurate with age.
Provenance:
No provenance documents provided.
Condition:
Good (surface wear and small dings; cleaned pewter; minor age cracks/wear to wooden handle)
Identification Score: 75%
Form, construction, and underside touchmark strongly indicate a Dutch/Low Countries pewter teapot; some uncertainty remains about whether it may alternatively be a small coffee pot and about the exact maker due to the worn mark.
Authenticity Score: 55%
The wear, wooden handle patina, and soft, worn touchmark suggest period manufacture, but photos are limited and many 19th–20th century reproductions exist. Without clearer mark and construction details, I lean cautiously toward authentic late-18th/early-19th century rather than a modern reproduction, but keep the score conservative.
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