Tall, elongated, pear-shaped silver coffeepot on round, molded foot with double C-scroll ivory handle and hinged, double-domed lid with pinecone finial, the curved spout with applied shell-like motifs, on one side of the main body in bright-cut engraving within an oval reserve comprised of leafy motifs a coat of arms (possibly of the Irish branch of the Judge family) hanging from a tied ribbon, outside the reserve two bound branches (one laurel, one possibly palm), above a badge with a seated Irish Wolfhound.

Coffeepot

Robert Albin Cox, London, England

1754-1755

Coffee, widely consumed throughout the Middle East, was introduced to Europe during the early seventeenth century by Turkish traders. Although enjoyed as a domestic drink, coffee was first popularized through coffee houses. Britain’s first opened in Oxford in 1650, and establishments in London soon followed. The arrival of coffee had a profound effect on social behavior, and its consumption demanded elaborate rituals and new vessels for preparing and serving. While coffee drinking remained popular on the continent, in England it was eventually superseded by tea, which became a mainstay of existence.