A three-piece sterling silver tea set made in London in 1858 by the renowned royal-warranted silversmith John Samuel Hunt, decorated in the ancient Egyptian Revival style that was popular at the time. At the height of the British Empire, following the early 19th-century decipherment of the Rosetta Stone (originally decoded by the French in 1822), British society—as well as French—was filled with curiosity about ancient Egyptian culture, especially obsessed with its hieroglyphs and mystical symbols. Silverware craftsmanship naturally gave rise to objects adorned with this style of decoration, and this tea set is a prime example. The pot bodies, handles, and lids are densely engraved with various mystical motifs and symbols. Featuring a highly popular pear-shaped body, the design is charming. The teapot is approximately 23 cm in length with a capacity of about 1.2 liters, standing around 15 cm high and weighing approximately 741 grams. The interior of the sugar bowl and creamer features their original fire gilding, showcasing exquisite taste; the gilding color is vibrant and shows almost no signs of use. The base of each piece bears the retail mark of the world's most famous retailer of that era, Hunt & Roskell Late Storr & Mortimer—Paul Storr, one of the greatest silversmiths in British history, was once a partner in the firm. All three pieces were made in the same year by the same maker, with a combined weight of approximately 1,456 grams and of superb quality.