The 500 years of teapot design has come full circle. The metamorphic productions from China in the fifteenth century are now the models of similar designs from the People's Republic. In between there is displayed, in the variety of teapots from all over the world, a richness of imagination, inventiveness and humor which makes Edward Bramah's beautiful and comprehensive collector's guide long overdue. A source book and a true labor of love.

Narrating Objects, Collecting Stories is a wide-ranging collection of essays exploring the stories that can be told about objects and those who choose to collect them. Examining objects and collecting in different historical, social and institutional contexts, an international, interdisciplinary group of authors consider the meanings and values with which objects are imputed and the processes and implications of collecting. This includes considering the entanglement of objects and collectors alike in webs of social relations, the creation of value and social change; object biographies and the stories – often conflicting – that objects come to represent; and the strategies used to reconstruct and retell the narratives of objects. The book includes considerations of individual objects and groups of objects, such as domestic interiors, Chinese Buddhist artefacts, novelty tea-pots, Scottish stone monuments, African ironworking, a postcolonial painting and memorials to those killed on the roads in Australia. It also contains chapters dealing with particular collectors – including Charles Bell and Beatrix Potter – and representational techniques.

Features nearly 2,000 price listings for collectible teapots, along with historical backgrounds, nation-by-nation explanations of style, pattern and composition, collector's guidelines, manufacturer's marks, and more.

Collectors, antique dealers, home decorators and enthusiasts can reference the most comprehensive guide to their short and stout favourites available, with 1,000 brilliant colour images of the best teapots of three centuries.

Offers tips on identifying, collecting, and caring for furniture, photographs, posters and illustration art, costume jewelry and wristwatches, dolls, toys, advertising and sports memorabilia, and glass and pottery.

Based on its universal appeal and everyday use, tea has inspired the creation of exquisite objets d’art; above all, the spouted, steaming engine of hospitality: the teapot. In fact, the teapot has drawn widespread attention from the world’s leading designers and artists for centuries because it is what French sculptor Arman calls one of the key objects of our time. This delightful book celebrates the chameleon-like form of the teapot, and how it is considered not only an icon for hospitality but also an inventive vehicle for artistic expression. The Artful Teapot features, in full, lavish color, more than 200 enchanting teapots representing its 500-year history of enjoyment and use. Readers will find captivating examples from Yixing—the birthplace of the teapot—as well as such famous producers as Meissen, Minton, Wedgwood, and others. Here are artful teapots that balance form, surface, and function in search of beauty . . . revolutionary teapots seeking—fascinatingly but fruitlessly—to improve on this most perfect invention . . . teapots inspired by natural forms . . . teapots made from surprising materials like dollar bills, glass beads, and soda cans . . . teapots used as a format for politics or propaganda . . . teapots using animals or people as their subject . . . and last but not least, the teapot created purely for art’s sake—pots removed from function, where tea evaporates and imagination replaces the fragrant leaf as content. Plus, fascinating text written by Garth Clark, the preeminent scholar of modern ceramics, provides an appealing discussion of these objets d’art that is as provocative, playful, and profound as the teapots themselves. • Teapots featured in this book form the basis for an exhibition that opened in November 2001 at the American Craft Museum in New York City, which is traveling until 2004, visiting six other American museums • First comprehensive guide featuring the artistic beauty of teapots through five centuries of use

This fascinating, full-colour, photographic compendium invites you to discover contemporary Britain through its everyday objects. Showcasing a wealth of iconic British design staples – from the Mini and the Anglepoise lamp to wellies and Worcestershire sauce – this must-have guide will help you to understand British culture from the inside out.