Elegant Silver Teapot, Owned by Rebbe Maharash of Lubavitch – "one of the most beautiful items he owned"

Elegant Silver Teapot, Owned by Rebbe Maharash of Lubavitch – "one of the most beautiful items he owned"

Elegant silver teapot, which belonged to Rebbe Shmuel Schneerson, the Rebbe Maharash of Lubavitch.
Silver, marked: Dublin, 1834; maker's mark: R.S (Richard Sawyer). Densely decorated with vegetal patterns, rocaille and flowers, and set on four elegant feet.
Letter of authenticity enclosed (handwritten note, in English), signed in Hebrew by Rebbetzin Chanah Gurary (1899-1991), great-granddaughter of Rebbe Maharash, eldest daughter of Rebbe Rayatz: "I hereby gift... the silver tea pot of my great-grandfather the Rebbe Maharash. He bought it while on a trip abroad. It was one of the most beautiful items he owned. I myself packed it up when we were leaving the city of Lubavitch. My grandfather the Rashab told me to keep it when we were leaving Lubavitsh." Dated – 5th November 1989.'

For one hundred and two years (1813-1915), the center of Chassidut Chabad was located in the town of Lubavitch, Belarus. In autumn 1915, during WWI, the Germans approached Smolensk, near Lubavitch, forcing Rebbe Rashab to flee the town, which was home to his ancestors since the Mitteler Rebbe settled there in late 1813. After a journey which lasted several days, Rebbe Rashab, his family and his entourage, settled in the town of Rostov-on-Don, in south-western Russia.
The Rashab's son, Rebbe Rayatz, describes at length in his diary, the deliberations that preceded the decision to leave Lubavitch, the Rashab's instruction to pack up the possessions of Beit Rebbi, the journey with all the baggage, and eventually, the arrival to Rostov:
"Rumor has it that we are moving, to where and when - nobody knows, not even us. Just that my father [the Rashab] has said that we need to make the necessary preparations to travel and pack up what needs taking …The station master did a lot for us, he instructed to receive all our baggage, which amounted to 97 poods [a Russian unit of weight; over 1500 kg in total], and he himself stood there when it was loaded onto the wagons that would travel with us. He told the baggage guard to keep a careful watch on the baggage, that it arrives safely… The cost of the journey is high… we're traveling in five, seven, nine wagons, to the residence where we have been allocated rooms… the Jewish community of Rostov is in great excitement about our arrival" (MiBeit HaGenazim, pp. 26-36).
Based on the enclosed letter of authenticity, upon fleeing Lubavitch, the Rebbe Rashab instructed his eldest granddaughter Rebbetzin Chana Gurary to pack up the belongings of his father, the Rebbe Maharash, and at that time, he gave her this elegant silver Teapot as a gift.

Maximum length: 29 cm. Maximum height: 17.5 cm. Good condition. Minor blemishes. Soldering repairs.
PLEASE NOTE: Item description was shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.