Ask the Scholar

The teapot was produced in either Ustiug or Solvychegodsk by an unidentified master who used the mark Ia.P. The pot is of exceptionally fine workmanship and is unusual in that it is made of silver rather than copper. The decoration, rather than being of appliqués, is of low-relief silver, which has been tooled and engraved. In the center of both sides of the teapot is a medallion enclosed by a baroque border of acanthus leaves. Within the medallions stands the figure of cupid holding a bow in one hand and in the other another object, perhaps a quiver of darts. This image was derived from a book, Symbols and Emblems, published for Tsar Peter in Russian in Amsterdam in 1705. The remaining surface of the pot is covered with vines and blossoms over a cobalt blue enameled ground. The handle is of wood.