Coffeepot 1736

This Coffeepot was crafted by Phillip Kinnersly, a silversmith, sometime in the first half of the 18th century. At this time in England, drinking coffee was fashionable among the wealthier classes, and this pot reflects that trend. The material itself, silver, is a visual code for luxury and status. Notice the elegant curvature of the handle, made of wood to protect the user, and the delicate floral patterns etched into the body, all of which speak to the importance of refinement and display within the social rituals surrounding coffee consumption. The pot is domestic in scale and made for a small group of people. Objects like this offer us insight into the social history of the 1700s and how new global commodities entered English society. To understand it better, we might research trade routes of the time and look at other examples of silverwork in museum collections.