This silver tea infuser consists of a long, thin handle and a round, hollow, perforated ball. This ball opens to hold tea leaves, which are then brewed when the infuser is placed in hot water. The handle has a very small silver ring at its end, after which seven, small silver bead-like forms are linked together followed by two long strips of silver, rounded on the sides and joined by two silver beads similar to those above. The handle is linked to the tea ball by a bolt inserted in its proximal end that anchors, which allows the handle to pivot between two rounded protrusions at the top of the tea ball, one on each side of the handle. The tea ball itself is spherical and opens in the center. The round lid at the top is engraved with a wine glass shaped receptacle in the center, from which an abundant bouquet of flowers and leaves overflow and fall around most of the perimeter of the lid. Several small open areas punctuate the lid to permit the water to mix with the tea, but not large enough to let the tea leaves escape. The rim of the lid is bordered by a continuous series of slightly raised silver semi-circles. The inside of the tea ball is plain, other than the bottom side of the indentations made by the tooling of the decoration on the exterior of the lid. Similarly, other than a slightly raised rim around the edge, the back of the tea ball is also undecorated.
Dutch
Tea Infuser,
19th century
Silver
,
12.1 x 7 cm (4 3/4 x 2 3/4 in.)
Object details
Accession number
U18e96
Primary Creator
Dutch
Full title
Tea Infuser
Creation Date
19th century
Provenance
Entered Isabella Stewart Gardner's collection by January 1924.
Marks
Marked (recto of base): [unidentifiable makers mark]
Dimensions
12.1 x 7 cm (4 3/4 x 2 3/4 in.)
Display Media
Silver
Web Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.
Permanent Gallery Location
Little Salon
Rights and reproductions
The use of images, text, and all other media found on this website is limited. Please review Rights and Reproductions for details.
Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.