An extremely rare teapot bearing the mark of Paul Revere Jr holds the highest estimate in Christie's Important Silver auction, which will take place on January 24 in New York.
 Revere is remembered in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, Paul Revere's Ride |
The pot, one of only four known drum-form teapots by Revere in existence, is to be sold with a $150,000-250,000 estimate. The remaining three examples are currently held in public institutions, making this a unique opportunity to own an important piece of the illustrious silversmith's work.
Revere (1734-1818) was a highly respected Boston silversmith who also played a prominent and crucial role in the American revolutionary war as part of the Massachusetts militia - a fact that contributes significantly to the value of his items at auction.
He was also the first American to successfully roll copper into sheets and is remembered in a 1958 US stamp that bears his portrait, with his work carried on through the Revere Copper Company.
Produced circa 1782, the tea pot has been consigned from a private New England collection. It features a fluted straight spout and scroll wood handle, with its slightly domed hinged cover topped by a cast bud finial. Its body is engraved with a "CC" monogram.
An identical example - also produced in 1782 - is currently housed in New York's Metropolitan Museum of art, with the remaining two in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and Yale University Art Gallery. All examples are recorded in Revere's Daybook.
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