Coffeepot 1705 - 1706

This coffeepot was crafted in England during the late 17th or early 18th century by the silversmith Francis Garthorne. Its gleaming surface and dragon-shaped spout speak to the refined tastes of the period. But this isn't just about aesthetics. Consider the cultural context: coffee had become a fashionable drink, imported through expanding trade networks. Objects like this coffeepot became symbols of status. The dragon is a visual code alluding to far-away places of commodity. The coffeepot tells us about social structures: ownership of such an item indicated wealth and belonging to a privileged class. By studying merchants’ papers, trade statistics, and household inventories, the social historian can reveal how seemingly simple objects played a role in a complex network of power and exchange.