Nobleman Teapot

This is a small coffee or teapot likely made in the Thuringia area of Germany around 1820. It is superbly handpainted with two portraits of German nobility one on either side with the area between them filled with a greenish ground color and some nice gilding. The gilding around the portraits as well as the top rim, the front of the spout and the lid have a design edged into it as well! The teapot is in good condition but it has a small chip to the inside rim where the lid hides it as well as a chip to the outside top edge which isn't too bad and a small hairline across the bottom of the handle which is still strong. The lid is from the correct service but it might have been from a different pot as it is a bit too big. Not obvious when on display at all and looking at the wear on the inside rim it has been this way for a long long time. The portrraits are of these two nobles:

1) Prince Klemes Wenzel von Metternich (Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar Fuerst von Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein) who was born on 15 May 1773 and died on the 11 June 1859. He was a German/Austrian politician and one of the most important diplomats of his time. He was a major figure in the negotiations before and during the Congress of Vienna and is considered both a paradigm of foreign-policy management and a major figure in the development of diplomatic praxis.

2) Count Franz Anton von Kolowrat-Liebsteinsky was born on 31 January 1778 and died on 4 April 1861. He was an Austrian statesman who was born in Prague. Kolowrat's rivalry with Metternich intensified, when in 1826 the emperor called him to Vienna, where he was elevated to a member of the Austrian State Council responsible for the Interior and Finances. After the accession of Francis' incapable son Ferdinand I to the throne in 1836, Kolowrat together with Metternich led the Geheime Staatskonferenz which was the de facto government of the Empire. However the continuous disagreement between the two leaders palsied the Austrian politics and ultimately contributed to the outbreak of the Revolution of 1848. When Metternich had to resign, Kolowrat assumed the newly created office of an Austrian Minister President, which he nevertheless laid down after only one month, officially for health reasons.

An interesting teapot to say the least with lots of history attached :) The pot is not marked except with the names of the two people on it. It is 6.375 inches tall and 3.5 inches in diameter. The portraits are about 2.5 inches in diameter so of a nice size! Please e-mail me for more information or photos.