A Royal Worcester 'Aesthetic' teapot and cover, dated 1882

modelled by James Hadley, in double sided form as a flamboyant young man wearing a sunflower and a woman wearing a lily, both in aesthetic costumes,  the base inscribed in puce 'FEARFUL CONSEQUENCES - THROUGH THE LAWS OF NATURAL SELECTION AND EVOLUTION OF LIVING UP TO ONE'S TEAPOT', factory mark, registration mark and designer's name "Budge", restored.

The Edward Bramah Collection, The Tea and Coffee Museum, London
Acquired from Lady Marion Langham, London, September 1995

London, Geffrye Museum, The House Beautiful, 2000-2001
Norwich, Norwich Castle Museum, Flower Power, 2003
Sheffield, The Millennium Gallery, 2003

Edward Bramah, Novelty Teapots, 1992, p. 50, col. pl. 2

Teapot- broken in two and restored.Restoration to arm and hand forming the spout. Minor chips to the lily. Some restoration and chips to its leaves. Cover- good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This teapot is mocking and satirizing the excessive taste of the Aesthetic movement in the late decades of the 19th century. The design was first registered on 21st December 1881, and is immediately referencing W. S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan’s operetta Patience, first performed in April of the same year at the Opera Comique, London.

Whilst a student at Oxford University Oscar Wilde once said "I find it harder and harder every day to live up to my blue china". The intriguing inscription on the base comments on the visitors to an exhibition held at the Grosvenor Gallery where a single Chinese teapot was exhibited and presented as perfection in design. Shortly after, on 7th May 1881, Punch magazine illustrated a print of a lady holding aloft a teapot with the title 'Let us Live up to it'.