A rare Minton teapot and cover designed by Sir Henry Cole under the pseudonym Felix Summerly

A rare Minton teapot and cover designed by Sir Henry Cole under the pseudonym Felix Summerly, covered in a celadon glaze impressed mark probably a date mark for 1847 also impressed F the Registration date letter for 1847 damages 17cm. high Sir Henry Cole (1802-1882) was a civil servant who spent his life championing the arts, in particular design, being involved in the organisation of the 1851 Great Exhibition, Crystal Palace and later in 1853 he became the first director of the South Kensington Museum, now the Victoria & Albert Museum. Cole was also a director of Summerly's Art Manufacturers and using the Felix Summerly pseudonym designed this tea set that won the silver medal from the Royal Society of Arts in 1846. The cups and saucers from the service appear to have become a staple design for Minton being produced over a long period but the scarcity of known examples of the teapot suggest that it was produced in limited quantities. Paul Atterbury & Maureen Batkin The Dictionary of Minton, Antique Collector's Club, page 260 for an illustration of Cole's designs and also of this actual teapot.