Copper Kettle

Artisan: Basil Smetham
Date: 1982
Inscriptions: signed with initials and dated ‘BJS 1982’ (on the base)
Dimensions: 32 x 35 x 20 mm. / 1 ⅝ x 1 ½ x ¾ inches (height x width x depth)
Inventory number: 2022.189
Intended Room: Kitchen
Category: Copper

Provenance: Purchased from Claire Lees of Beautiful and Nice, UK, via eBay, in June 2022.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Doesn’t this look virtually identical to the other copper kettle we recently added to the Quartermaine Hall collection? Do we really need two kettles? Well, on one hand I don’t see any problem with the busy kitchen of a grand house having two copper kettles ready for service; but that’s not why we bought this second kettle. While our first was by George Chapman, this second kettle is signed with initials ‘B.J.S.’ underneath (and dated 1982). The artisan wasn’t identified in the listing when I spotted the kettle, but I realised from the initials that it must be a work by Basil Smetham. A few months ago, I was heartbroken to miss out on one of Basil’s kettles on Karon Cunningham’s website; and now the gap has been filled.