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Origin of the Decorative Tea Kettle

Tea kettles have dramatically evolved over the years to suit brewing needs, cultural tastes, and style preferences.

Thousands of years ago tea was prepared in open pots in China. Covered vessels and kettles came with the Ming Dynasty in order to better steep the leaves and keep the brew hot for consumption.

When tea was brought to the West by the Dutch, the teapot began to evolve. As tea grew in popularity, so did the desire for greater variety in brewing kettles. Tea drinkers wanted a wider selection of teapots with more sizes, shapes and designs.

In response, new manufacturing techniques were developed in the eighteenth century that transformed the basic brewing vessel.

New materials and designs were used to create tea kettles made of stoneware, porcelain and bone china.

According to tea expert and author Jane Pettigrew in her book, The Tea Companion, early pots followed the Chinese tradition for using mythological symbols and creatures.

Later pots reflected eighteenth-center rococo or neoclassical shapes and the heavily ornamented styles of nineteenth-century Victoriana.

Today, you can find kettles in a plethora of sizes with designs that range from the ornate to whimsical.

Whether you are looking for a teapot that looks like a rooster, rose, palm tree or lighthouse, you can find a teapot that meets your needs and appeals to your taste and mood.

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