D2550. Blue and White Hot Water Kettle, Cover and Stand

Delft, circa 1740

The pear-shaped body decorated with blossoming peonies, alternating birds perched on a banded hedge, the neck with elaborate scrollwork suspending floral swags, the spout with elongated stylized panels, dark blue upright handle, the pierced stand raised on three scrolled feet.

DIMENSIONS
Total height: 30 cm. (11.8 in.)

PROVENANCE
The Peter Van Slyke Collection, U.S.A.;
Christie’s, Amsterdam, 6 May 2003, lot 324;
The late Mrs. A.C.T. Tempel-Zwartsenberg

NOTE
The tea kettle became an essential object in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, reflecting both the evolving customs of tea consumption and the social hierarchies within households. In this period, boiling water was primarily the task of a maidservant, who was responsible for keeping water hot over an open fire in the kitchen. At the mistress’s signal, the maid would discreetly bring the hot water to the tea table to fill the teapot and cups. This process emphasized the formal and hierarchical nature of tea-drinking rituals, as described by Dr. Cornelis Dekker (1647–1685), known as Bontekoe, in his Gebruik en Misbruik van Thee (The Use and Misuse of Tea, 1686). Bontekoe stressed the importance of maintaining hot water, writing, “continuing to do this, as long as the tea supplied taste and color to the water; but it must not be forgotten that the water always has to be hot” (cited in Thema Thee, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam 1978, p. 33).

For both practical purposes and prestige, it became increasingly customary to have a bouilloire (a type of tea kettle) placed beside the tea table on a special guéridon (a small decorative table), which allowed the hostess to maintain hot water nearby. This shift not only streamlined the tea-serving process but also elevated the kettle to a decorative and status-symbol object, as seen in a plaque from the Historisch Museum Arnhem that depicts a lady seated beside such a setup, inscribed with a poem emphasizing the elegance of tea drinking and the sweet indulgence of sugar.

Bontekoe’s writings also advised against the use of copper kettles, suggesting that “small sharp particles” from copper could wash into the boiling water, causing nausea. Instead, silver, pewter, or ceramic kettles became the preferred options. Among these, faience (tin-glazed earthenware) kettles, particularly Delftware, stood out for their beauty and craftsmanship. However, these decorative ceramics were less durable and could not consistently withstand the high temperatures required for boiling water. As such, Delftware kettles may have ultimately served more as ornamental objects within tea salons, reinforcing the display of wealth and taste.

By the eighteenth century, silver kettles became the most desirable vessels for tea tables, prized for their practicality, durability, and their role as symbols of affluence. Over time, even these fell out of use as tea-drinking customs evolved. By the late nineteenth century, the Dutch adopted the less formal English tradition of brewing and pouring tea directly from larger teapots, marking the decline of the tea kettle’s prominence in tea culture (Thema Thee, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam 1978, p. 33).