Vintage Copper Tea Kettle with Brass Bail Handle, Turned Wood Grip, Seamed Spout and Wood Knob Lid
This is a vintage copper tea kettle with a squat, rounded bell-shaped body, a straight tapered spout rolled from sheet copper with a seam along the top, and a brass wire bail handle carrying a turned spool-shaped wood grip with two center rings. Its bail pivots in small leaf-shaped brass ears riveted to the shoulder. The flat copper lid has a turned wood knob with a brass pin, and the inside is tin lined. It carries no marks, so the maker is unknown. Similar wood-handled copper kettles marked Made in Portugal or TAGUS were common in the US in the 1970s, but this one cannot be confirmed as Portuguese.
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A common style of imported copper kettle
Copper tea kettles with a swing handle, a turned wooden grip and a wooden lid knob were sold widely in American stores in the later 20th century, and many marked examples carry Made in Portugal or the TAGUS name. This kettle has no mark, so its maker and country cannot be confirmed. The tin lining inside is standard on copper cookware, because bare copper reacts with food and water.
Round copper kettle with a brass bail and turned wood grip
This vintage copper tea kettle with a brass bail handle, turned wood grip and wood knob lid has a squat, rounded bell-shaped body that is widest near the bottom, a short raised collar at the top, and a straight spout angled up from the shoulder. Its body is copper, a soft brown copper with a dull satin finish, and the handle hardware is brass, a dark antique brass. The wooden parts are a medium walnut brown stain.
The handle is a swing (bail) handle: a curved brass rod on each side ends in a pivot pin that sits in a small brass ear shaped like a leaf or flame, riveted to the shoulder of the kettle. Between the rods runs a turned wooden grip shaped like a long spool, thicker at each end with a pair of carved rings in the middle. Rolled from sheet copper, the spout is a straight, slightly tapered tube with a visible seam running along its top and an angled, open cut end. On the collar sits the lid, a flat copper disc with a rolled edge, topped by a small turned wood knob with a domed cap held by a brass pin.
Underneath, the base is flat copper with one raised concentric ring and a rolled outer edge. Inside, the kettle is lined with tin, a dull silvery gray. The underside of the lid is darkened metal with a central fitting for the knob screw and a thin inner skirt that keeps the lid in place. No stamp, maker's name, country of origin or label was found on the base, body, handle ears or lid.
On this copy: no measurements were taken. Tarnished to a dull brown overall, the copper shows heat discoloration, dark spots and a little green verdigris on the base, and the lower body has several small dents. The inner skirt of the lid is bent and wavy, the inside has mineral scale and dark spots from use, and the wood grip and knob are worn with darkened finish but intact.
- Shape: Squat round bell-shaped kettle with a short collar and straight angled spout
- Material: Copper body, brass bail and ears, wood grip and knob, tin lining
- Colors: Copper (soft brown satin copper); brass (dark antique brass); wood (medium walnut brown)
- Handle: Swing bail of brass rod with a turned spool-shaped wood grip with two center rings
- Handle mounts: Small leaf- or flame-shaped brass ears riveted to the shoulder, with pivot pins
- Spout: Straight tapered tube with a seam along the top and an angled open tip
- Lid: Flat copper lid with rolled edge, turned wood knob with brass pin, inner skirt
- Base: Flat copper base with one raised ring and rolled edge
- Marks: None found
- This copy: Not measured; tarnish, small dents on lower body, bent lid skirt, mineral scale inside, heat marks on base
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About the Copper Tea Kettle, Wood Knob Lid
How do I find out who made my copper tea kettle?
Check the base, under the lid and the handle ears for a stamped name or country. Many similar kettles are stamped Made in Portugal or TAGUS. This one has no mark, so it can only be compared by shape.
Is my copper tea kettle lined with tin?
This one is. The inside is a dull silvery gray, which is the tin lining that keeps water from touching the bare copper.
Can I still use an old copper kettle with a wood handle?
Only if the tin lining is intact and the kettle does not leak. Worn or missing tin should be re-tinned before use, and the wood grip should be kept away from flame.