Tea Caddy
ca. 1800 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Tea-drinking, introduced into Britain in the late 17th century, became widespread during the 18th century. Since tea caddies were placed on the table as tea was served, they were often highly decorative. A great variety of wooden caddies were made between 1780 and 1810 as tea became cheaper and more widely used. A. Hepplewhite & Co. published designs for both ‘tea caddies’ and ‘tea chests’, which were usually larger, in The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Guide, 1788 (2nd edition 1789, 3rd Edition 1794).
This caddy is decorated with four minute wood carvings of landscapes and trophies behind glass. These carvings may have been imported from the Netherlands as they are probably by the Dutch craftsman Cornelius Bavelaar (1747-1830). He specialized in tiny dioramas very similar to these, usually mounted in glass-fronted wooden frames. His son, also Cornelis Bavelaar (1777-1831), worked in the same style.
This caddy is decorated with four minute wood carvings of landscapes and trophies behind glass. These carvings may have been imported from the Netherlands as they are probably by the Dutch craftsman Cornelius Bavelaar (1747-1830). He specialized in tiny dioramas very similar to these, usually mounted in glass-fronted wooden frames. His son, also Cornelis Bavelaar (1777-1831), worked in the same style.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Mahogany, edged with ebony, inset with four wood carvings behind oval glass panels |
| Brief description | Octagonal tea caddy of mahogany inset with minutes landscape carvings behind glass panels, early 19th century. |
| Physical description | Octagonal mahogany caddy edged with ebony and inset with wood-carvings of landscapes and trophies of musical instruments behind oval glass panels. The carving in the lid has a landscape scene with a windmill; the panel in the front has a portico with figures and trees; those in the sides are of musical trophies and flags. There is only one inner compartment. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Given by Thomas Sutton, Esq., in memory of his wife |
| Object history | Two dioramas from the workshop of the Bavelaar's were sold with the Butler Collection, Bearnes, Hampton and Littlewood, Exeter, 10 March 2020, lots 63 and 64. Lot 63 shows the same blue-painted sky as on the tea caddy. |
| Historical context | Tea leaves were expensive, so were usually stored in lockable containers. Early tea containers were referred to as canisters, kept in locked boxes known as tea chests. Smaller wooden boxes with one or two fixed inner compartments for loose tea became popular from about 1780 onwards and by 1800 were generally known as tea caddies. The word 'caddy' is thought to derive from the Malay word for a measure of weight (kati) equivalent to about half a kilogram. |
| Production | The inset carvings resemble work by Cornelis Bavelaar and may have been imported into Britain for use in the decoration of tea caddies, but it is equally possible that the whole caddy was made in The Netherlands. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | Tea-drinking, introduced into Britain in the late 17th century, became widespread during the 18th century. Since tea caddies were placed on the table as tea was served, they were often highly decorative. A great variety of wooden caddies were made between 1780 and 1810 as tea became cheaper and more widely used. A. Hepplewhite & Co. published designs for both ‘tea caddies’ and ‘tea chests’, which were usually larger, in The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Guide, 1788 (2nd edition 1789, 3rd Edition 1794). This caddy is decorated with four minute wood carvings of landscapes and trophies behind glass. These carvings may have been imported from the Netherlands as they are probably by the Dutch craftsman Cornelius Bavelaar (1747-1830). He specialized in tiny dioramas very similar to these, usually mounted in glass-fronted wooden frames. His son, also Cornelis Bavelaar (1777-1831), worked in the same style. |
| Bibliographic reference | Walkling, Gillian. Tea Caddies, An Illustrated History,. London: Victoria and Albert Museum 1985, Fig. 45. ISBN 0905209540. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.57-1919 |
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| Record created | December 23, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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