Teapot
c. 1700
Medium
Gilded silver and enameled copper
Dimensions
14.5 × 23.2 × 14.3 cm (5 11/16 × 9 1/8 × 5 5/8 in.)
Classification
teapot
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
151564
Art Historical Context
Crafted around 1700 by Matthäus Baur II, a skilled German silversmith likely from the renowned workshops of Augsburg, this elegant teapot exemplifies the opulence of early 18th-century European decorative arts. Standing at 14.5 × 23.2 × 14.3 cm, its gilded silver body gleams with a warm golden sheen, while intricate enameled copper accents add vibrant color and fine detail. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Department of Applied Arts of Europe, it reflects the height of Baroque craftsmanship, where functionality met lavish ornamentation. At the dawn of the 1700s, tea—a novel luxury imp...