The possibly unique kettle which carries an estimate of £15,000-20,000 at Woolley & Wallis of Salisbury on June 19.
Although not manufactured until 1884, the kettle's pattern number 10272 places the design to 1866-67 and contemporary with the 1865 copy of The Building News which records Elkington's first experiments with Dr Dresser's electroplated silver designs.
In short it pre-dates by more than a decade the iconic Hukin & Heath and Dixon & Sons designs of 1878-79 and Dresser's 1876-77 trip to Japan that is often cited as the turning point in his design philosophy.
The possibly unique teapot, sourced from a private collection, carries an estimate of £15,000-20,000 at Woolley & Wallis of Salisbury on June 19.
