Long before the advent of espresso machines, coffee plungers and other high-speed caffeine solutions, racing-car teapots were all the rage. Now, thanks to a fundraising drive for the Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa), an original Art Deco “racing teapot” (as they were called in the 1930s) will go to South Africa’s highest bidder.
The silver racing teapot pictured here was discovered by Shelagh Shirley in a dusty corner of Maple Galleries Antiques, an antique dealership in Rosebank Mall. Shirley is an events manager behind South Africa’s Biggest Tea Party, a new fundraising initiative for Cansa. She found the piece, with a matching milk jug and sugar bowl, a few weeks ago and now the whole set is on auction on Bid or Buy until the end of September.
The original racing teapot is attributed to the English ceramicist James Sadler, whose pottery house, James Sadler and Sons Ltd, was one of the leading Art Deco pottery manufacturers in England at the beginning of the 20th century. Sadler made his first sports car-shaped teapot in 1937 and in the following two years these ceramic pieces, which were often plated in platinum or silver, became coveted collectors’ items. Everyone from wealthy housewives to motoring journalists wanted one.
The proprietors of Maple Galleries date this teapot to the same period as Sadler’s famous racing pots, although an absence of insignia on the base of the pot makes it difficult to identify its designer. That this piece is made of silver suggests that it was made before the start of World War II, when silver, platinum and other precious metals became very scarce in Europe’s crockery industries.
South Africa’s Biggest Tea Party was launched on July 29 with an opulent tea party at The Room at 44 Stanley in Milpark. Socialite Edith Venter was in attendance and bought a bead-and-wire teapot for R100. Trend analyst Dion Chang was also there and approved of the racing teapot — but he didn’t take it home.
The aim of the drive is to encourage South Africans to host tea parties at which they collect monetary donations for Cansa. To add a bit of glamour to the scheme, Shirley and her team have collected a range of rare tea sets that were showcased at the launch and are now being auctioned, with all proceeds going directly to Cansa.
Bidding on the racing tea set begins at R2500. This is by far one of the more affordable items available. A Susie Cooper tea set made in 1937, comprising a teapot, four teacups and saucers, four side plates, a creamer and a sugar bowl, is priced at a hefty R15000.
To bid on the racing tea set or any of the other South Africa’s Biggest Tea Party items, visit the Bid or Buy website (www.bidorbuy.co.za) or call the Tea Party Hotline at 0861-teapot (832768)