Golf Bag Teapot (1960/1970) by UnknownAustralian Golf Heritage Society Museum
Over thousands of years, billions of people around the world have enjoyed a nice cup of tea. Tea drinking has been raised to an art form, and the pots and cups it's served in have become equally aestheticised. Here's 10 of the wackiest and weirdest across history…
Lovers Teapot by Takamori, AkioThe Mint Museum
More tea, vicar?
The lithe bodies of Akio Takamori's Lovers'Teapot bend to join at the hips and and kiss at the lips. Together they form a classic teapot silhouette, albeit one with a few extra appendages… It's a saucy, seductive ceramic that's bound to cause a stir at the afternoon tea.
Teapot (2000) by Ralph BacerraThe Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
This branching, twisting, lurid-coloured pot looks more like a lump of coral plucked from an ocean reef than something crafted by human hands. It's the work of Ralph Bacerra, an American artist who was credited with numerous ceramic innovations.
Teapot with cover Teapot with cover (ca. 1719–30) by Meissen Manufactory|Sabina AufenwerthThe Metropolitan Museum of Art
But novelty teapots aren't just a modern phenomenon. This helmeted man standing on a shell, holding a dolphin ridden by a mermaid, decorated with a painted chinoiserie scene is a real antique. It was made between 1719-30 by Sabina Aufenwerth and the Meissen Manufactory.
Teapot with cover Teapot with cover (ca. 1750–70) by Whieldon typeThe Metropolitan Museum of Art
Similarly, this Whieldon ware pineapple pot was made around 1750, when the tropical fruits were luxury items and symbols of hospitality. Having your aristocratic friends round for a few cups of sugared oolong and a pineapple would have been the height of elegance.
Hexagonal Curbside Teapot (Variation #1) - Yixing Series by Notkin, Richard T.The Mint Museum
Richard T. Notkin is responsible for this Hexagonal Curbside Teapot. Its unusual ornamentation speaks to the urban fabric of the artist's native Chicago. It looks like a slice of the pavement has been simply lifted out of the ground.
teapot: Famous American Landmarks: Statue of Liberty (1994) by Fitz and FloydThe Strong National Museum of Play
The Land of the Tea and the Home of the Brave
As every schoolchild knows, the American Revolution was kicked off when the Sons of Liberty threw an expensive shipment of tea into Boston Harbour. Tea never really caught on in the Americas, but that doesn't mean you can't find a few novelty teapots, such as this style number.
Teapot (1882) by James HadleyThe Baltimore Museum of Art
This iconic pot is a satirical artwork mocking the Aesthetic movement of the late 1800s, whose ostentatious love of Oscar Wilde, tea, and all things Chinese was mocked in articles, poems, and plays of the era as an effeminate and foreign affectation.
Tupac and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Teapot (2018) by Roberto LugoKansas City Art Institute
Roberto Lugo's 2018 teapot featuring Tupac and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. juxtaposes the genteel act of taking tea with two murdered African Americans, whose lives are associated with the fight against poverty, social, and racial injustice.
Teapot by Satake, Akira and Akira Satake PotteryThe Mint Museum
This rustic pot looks like its been hewn from a granite boulder. In fact it was made by the contemporary Japanese musician and ceramicist Akira Satake. Its uncompromising angular faces contrast with the warm, calming liquid contained within it.
Teapot ((1985-86)) by Frank BAUERNational Gallery of Australia
Born in Germany, working in Australia, Frank Bauer saw himself as a sculptor, as much as a designer. Over the course of his career he made a number of startling postmodern pots. Simple geometry and modern materials define his signature style, as seen in this teapot made in 1986.
