Cyples Black Basalt Low Round Collared Bachelor Teapot circa 1830

A black basalt stoneware or Egyptian Black or "shining black" tea pot dating from around 1830. This one cup or bachelor size tea pot was produced by Lydia Cyples of Cyples pottery, Market Street, Lane End, ( Later Longton, now part of Stoke on Trent) Staffordshire, England (circa 1812-1834). It is impress marked on the base Cyples in capital letters. 

This is a well potted wheel-thrown, then engine turned black basalt teapot.  It is of a small size with low-round shape, with a short collar. The lid is a thin slightly convex shape with a knop with central vent hole. It has been covered in a thin vapour (smear) glaze over a black body. It is decorated with bands of beading and gadrooning, some collectors call it egg & groove type roulettes. There is an applied continuous rococo floral sprig frieze, or floral arabesques, around the body over a over a gauze background.

This teapot has a slightly ribbed strap moulded handle. Simple acanthus leaf moulding on the spout. Spout with internal 8 hole hand-pierced strainer in a triangular formation.

A virtually identical teapot is shown in An Anthology of British Teapots, Miller (1985), page 289, plate 1729. See also page 256 of a Directory of British teapots by Michael Berthoud and Richard Maskell .

It stands 3 1/4 inches (8.2 cm) high and is 7 inches (17.8 cm) wide long and 4 3/4 inches (12.1 cm) diameter. The teapot weighs 322g and is in good antique condition with a little damage - there are two repaired chips to the rim of the collar and one to the tip of the spout.