A rare George III silver Teapot formed as if from Water Lilies.

A George III silver Bachelor’s Teapot, London 1814, maker ‘IH’, formed as if from Water Lilies, the finial in the form of the lily flower. The teapot is engraved below the spout with a contemporary crest and coronet for Hugh, Viscount Ebrington, later [1839] 2nd Earl Fortescue, who was born in 1783 and died in 1861. Hugh married first in 1817, Lady Susan Ryder, daughter of the Earl of Harrowby, and second, in 1841, Elizabeth Geale.
The maker’s mark, ‘IH’, which is struck in a small punch on the side of the teapot and on the underside of the lid, is perhaps that of John Houle, although the exceptional naturalistic design and quality of the teapot is unlike that normally associated with Houle.
The underside of the lid of the teapot is discretely engraved as a christening gift from her god-mother, Mrs. Wiliam Miller [Marjorie], to Victoria Diana Cecil, daughter of Lord Burghley, who was christened on this day. Lady Victoria Cecil on her marriage became Lady Victoria Leatham and, after her father’s death was responsible for the family seat, Burghley House, in Stamford.