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Elizabeth I's teapot sells for £1m
Last updated at 00:37am on 10.04.07
This unique Chinese tea kettle that belonged to Queen Elizabeth I has sold for £1m at auction
Elizabeth I: The teapot's owner
As teapots go, it is a touch impractical. It is a little large for a cuppa with the neighbour. And finding a nice cosy to fit could be a challenge.
But with Queen Elizabeth I among its former owners, the piece's true value is all in its rich history.
Thanks to this - and its exquisite appearance - the teapot has been sold for more than £1million at auction.
The silver-mounted Wucai pot was made for a Chinese emperor during the Ming dynasty in the late 1500s.
It was probably obtained by an English explorer or trader and became one of the first examples of imperial porcelain to reach these shores in the 16th century.
"It is a wonderful, exotic and historic piece which would have blown people's minds," said Alastair Gibson of Sotheby's, which auctioned the teapot.
"You never saw porcelain in Europe then - it just didn't exist. Everything was dull and tawdry and people were mainly eating off metal.
"It symbolises a new age of travel and exploration."
The 10-inch teapot, which is decorated with songbirds and peach trees, was reputedly given to Queen Elizabeth in a bid to curry favour.
She gave it to her chaplain Henry Parry, the Bishop of Worcester, who was at her deathbed in 1603.
At the time, it would have been worth enough to buy a small house. Over the
centuries it has passed through several families in private sales.
In 1976 it became part of the British Rail Pension Fund Collection before it was sold again in 1989.
This time, the anonymous seller was expecting a winning bid of around £785,000.
Experts said the teapot was highly sought after, as no other of the same size or shape is known to exist. It is decorated in five colours while the majority of Ming porcelain of this type is only in blue and white.
After competition from across the world, it was sold for £1,079,000 to London-based antique dealers Littleton and Hennessy, bidding on behalf of an overseas collector.
