Mid-20th Century Small ‘Brown Betty’ Style Teapot with Marbled Brown Glaze

This is an iconic British ‘Brown Betty’ style ‘tea for one’ teapot dating to the mid-20th century.

The teapot is of globular form, with a short, galleried rim, a looped handle, and a short, curved spout. It is moulded with two bands of circumferential rings that sit at the points of attachment for the handle.

The teapot is glazed in a dark chocolate brown shade, with a band of cream around the rim, and a band of tan brown below this. This design then has a thin layer of mottled brown glaze over the top, to give it an overall marbled effect.

It has a circular lid, with a galleried base. There is a central round knop which also contains the steam hole. This is also glazed in the same brown design as the body.

The teapot sits on a short, discoid base, which is unglazed in some areas, revealing the underlying ceramic body to be red or terracotta coloured. This is due to the fact that Brown Betty teapots were made with red ‘Etruria Marl’ clay. The base is marked with the words ‘MADE IN ENGLAND’ and impressed with what looks like the number ’49’, although this is hard to discern.

It has a maximum height (including the lid) of approximately 10.9cm, with a diameter across the rim of about 7.9cm and across the base of about 6.8cm. It has a maximum width from the spout tip to the edge of the handle of about 19.0cm.

It has a liquid capacity (to the brim) of 400ml.

It has an unwrapped weight of 490g.

It is in good condition, with no chips or cracks, although there is some crazing to the glaze commensurate with age and use.