Teapot
Northeastern United States
1860-1900
Measurements
6-3/4 in x 7 in x 4-3/4 in
Materials
Brown-glazed yellow earthenware (Rockingham ware)
Credit Line
Historic Odessa Foundation, anonymous gift
Accession Number
2020.59
Condition Notes
The top is a replacement from another teapot.
Comments
This small, slip-cast teapot imitates far more detailed (and usually larger) examples that displayed a very popular image of "Rebekah at the Well" (see, e.g., accession no. 2020.57). The likely pirated version on the body of this teapot shows the form of Rebekah as she drew water from a well for Isaac and his camels, as outlined in the Biblical story from Genesis. Lack of detail suggests that the mold for this teapot may have been made directly from another cast product rather than creating a new mold for the form. It retains the ten-paneled body of many highly detailed “original” molds. The spout and handle are sharper in their molded detail than the body, suggesting that they were made by the anonymous potter. This teapot stands on five shallow button feet.
