Teapot c. 1938

This teapot, crafted in the Art Deco style by Jean Puiforcat, displays a fusion of geometric forms and luxurious materials. Its stark, streamlined design, reminiscent of architectural structures, carries echoes of ancient ziggurats, temples of old where offerings were made. Note how the spout, with its pure, arching curve, evokes the classical world’s aqueducts and triumphal arches. Consider, too, how the lid’s stepped form mirrors the tiers of sacred mountains, symbols of ascent towards the divine. This object, while ostensibly for everyday use, draws upon a wellspring of cultural memory. Such forms are not merely decorative; they tap into a deeper, collective understanding of order, progress, and aspiration. The gleam of silver and gold, the unyielding geometry, are all designed to provoke a sense of elevated purpose, transforming the simple act of pouring tea into a ritual of modernist elegance.