Coffee Pot
CultureEnglish
Dateca. 1770
MediumCopper with silver plating and wood
DimensionsOverall: 12 × 3 3/4 inches (30.48 × 9.53 cm)
Credit LineThe Folgers Coffee Silver Collection, Gift of The Procter & Gamble Company; Collected by Joseph S. Atha
Object numberF99-21/38
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionLarge pear-shaped silver coffee pot engraved with a coat-of-arms; the body has floral decoration; the foot and cover are decorated with straight gadroon; the spout has leaf decoration. Double scroll wood handle.Gallery LabelAlthough this coffee pot seems to be silver, it is an early example of Sheffield plate, eponymous with its place of invention in England. In 1742, Thomas Boulsover discovered that copper fused between two, thin layers of silver could be shaped as one metal while appearing to be sterling silver, thus reducing the material cost. Sheffield plate was a boon to the burgeoning middle class desirous of emulating the upper classes with affordable alternatives. Displaced by electroplated silver in the mid-1800s, Sheffield plate is prized for its warm lustre.
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