Mappin & Webb | Silver-Plated Britannia Metal | Three-Piece Tea Service | England, Late 19th Century
A richly decorated tea service from one of the best-known names in British silver and silver plate.
Mappin & Webb grew out of the Mappin family's Sheffield silverworking tradition. The firm was established in London in the early 1860s by John Mappin and his brother-in-law George Webb, and became a leading manufacturer and retailer of silver and electroplated wares, with works in Sheffield and showrooms in London.
The service is made from Britannia metal, a predominantly tin-based alloy commonly used for silver-plated tableware in the 19th century. Mappin & Webb marked such pieces "Electro Britannia Metal". It is silver plate, not sterling silver.
All three pieces share the same decoration: a gadrooned shoulder set with acanthus leaves, and a lower body divided into vertical panels of embossed and chased scrolling flowers and foliage, on a domed circular foot.
The teapot has a long curved spout, a hinged domed lid chased with a leaf rosette and topped with a bone-coloured finial, and a scroll handle with bone-coloured insulating rings at both joins. The milk jug repeats the form with a high loop handle and a wide pouring lip, and the open sugar bowl has two scrolling handles. The milk jug and sugar bowl have gilt-washed interiors.
The underside of the teapot is marked "MAPPIN & WEBB / ELECTRO BRITANNIA METAL / SHEFFIELD LONDON / 12425". The number is recorded as marked; its precise function has not been established.
The service is in very good condition, with bright plating and light wear consistent with age, including a small worn area in the base of the sugar bowl and minor spotting inside the teapot. The lid and hinge work well, and the fittings are secure.
Key Details
- Maker: Mappin & Webb, Sheffield and London
- Contents: teapot, milk jug and open sugar bowl
- Material: silver plate on Britannia metal (not sterling silver)
- Decoration: embossed and chased acanthus, gadrooning and floral panels
- Interiors: gilt-washed (milk jug and sugar bowl)
- Finial and insulators: bone-coloured (teapot)
- Marks: MAPPIN & WEBB / ELECTRO BRITANNIA METAL / SHEFFIELD LONDON / 12425
- Date: late 19th century (attributed from form, decoration and construction)
- Dimensions (approximate): teapot 26 cm spout to handle, 19 cm high to finial; milk jug 14 cm high; sugar bowl 16 cm handle to handle, 13 cm high
- Condition: very good; light wear to plating, small worn area inside the sugar bowl, minor spotting inside the teapot; lid and hinge sound
- Buyer profile: collectors of Victorian silver plate and Mappin & Webb, and anyone wanting a decorative tea service for use or display
Collector Appeal
The three pieces share the same floral and acanthus decoration, from the teapot's shaped shoulders to the smaller forms of the milk jug and sugar bowl. Together they keep the character of a coordinated Victorian tea service, while the Mappin & Webb mark connects them to an established British maker of silver and electroplate.
Three pieces, one pattern, and the elaborate ornament of the Victorian tea table.
