Tea Urn in the Shape of Atlas Supporting the World
date: label: Date
content: 1777
name: label: Maker
content: Thomas Heming, English, 1723 – 1801
notes: label: Catalogue Status
content: Research in Progress
label: Description
content: Tea urn in the form of Atlas supporting the world. Triangular base (a) with openwork decoration, on three ball feet, supporting kneeling figure of Atlas holding a spherical urn (b) on his shoulders. Urn relief decoration featuring four wreathed circular medallions, each suspended from a bow and showing one of four allegorical figures of the continents (Europe, Asia, America, and Africa) with attributes. Embossed acanthus leaves supporting two ring handles. Two pendant laurel leaf tassels, each with oval medallion showing a female head in profile. One pendant tassel conceals a spout; its moveable medallion covers a keyhole. Slightly domed lid (c) engraved with heraldic lion sejant, and moveable laurel leaf finial with perforated stem at center. Interior cylinder (for heating liquid) is base metal.
place: label: made in
content: London, England
setName: label: See more items in
content: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Collection
label: See more items in
content: Product Design and Decorative Arts Department
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of the Estate of James Hazen Hyde
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 1960-1-23-a/c
objectType: label: Type
content: metalwork
label: Type
content: Decorative Arts
label: Object Name
content: tea urn
label: Type
content: tea urn
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: silver, metal (interior cylinder), wood (base)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (overall): 43.5 × 25 × 20 cm (17 1/8 × 9 13/16 × 7 7/8 in.)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (base, figure, and interior cylinder (a)): 27.9 × 15.7 × 13.7 cm (11 in. × 6 3/16 in. × 5 3/8 in.)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (urn (b)): 18.2 × 25 × 20 cm (7 3/16 × 9 13/16 × 7 7/8 in.)
label: Dimensions
content: H x diam. (lid with moveable finial (c)): 8 × 9.1 cm (3 1/8 × 3 9/16 in.)
label: Dimensions
content: H x diam. (domed lid only): 1.9 × 9.1 cm (3/4 × 3 9/16 in.)
label: Dimensions
content: H x diam. (moveable finial only): 8.5 × 2.5 cm (3 3/8 in. × 1 in.)