teapot in the form of a cockerel

J J Kaendler

Summary

Public: Teapot in the form of a cockerel, hard paste porcelain decorated with enamel colours. Private: Teapot and lid, hard paste porcelain, modelled as a seated cockerel, the head and beak forming the spout and the curled tail the handle, a further curled feather, forming the small lid. Painted naturalistically in black, brown and iron red enamel colours.

Display Label

Shape Shapes are often defined by their function: a teapot must have a handle and a spout. But by breaking away from the usual conventions designers and makers can reveal new possibilities, create new forms and make us think again. They can transform the teapot into a pineapple, or a simple, curvaceous, abstract shape. Through time, makers have used their imagination, their ingenuity and even their sense of humour to transform ordinary and everyday objects into appealing shapes inspired by our surroundings. Some shapes are designed to reflect their use, others are made as a novelty or decorative item: cows for a cream jug, giraffes for a mantelpiece. Many are created out of a desire to experiment, to see what can be done with different materials. This display brings together a menagerie of shapes showing the possibilities available to the maker.