The Garrick tea service thumbnail 1
The Garrick tea service thumbnail 2
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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
British Galleries, Room 118a

The Garrick tea service

Tea Service
1774 - 1775 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Object Type
The vase forms and decoration of fluting, swags and wreaths show that the service was made in the most stylish Neo-classical taste. Serving tea to company during this period was an opportunity for the display of status and wealth.

People
Regarded by some of their contemporaries as social climbers, the actor David Garrick and his wife, Eva, were nevertheless part of literary, artistic and aristocratic circles where fashionable clothing and furnishing were essential to credibility.

Places
The actor David Garrick purchased a London town house in architect, Robert Adam's fashionable Adelphi development by the river at Charing Cross, finished in 1772. The tea service was purchased as part of a large order of silver of £190 from the goldsmith Henry Shepherd and may have been intended to furnish the Garrick's new home in the Adelphi.

Trading
David Garrick ordered the service through the goldsmith, Henry Shepherd, who contracted out the making of the silver to the workshop of silversmiths James Young and Orlando Jackson. The silversmithing trade relied upon a complex network of skills and it was not unusual for several specialists to co-operate to make and decorate silver to the customer's specification. A surviving bill shows that this silver cost David Garrick the large sum of £88 14s.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 10 parts.

  • Urn
  • Heater
  • Coffee Pot
  • Teapot
  • Jug
  • Jug
  • Lid
  • Lid
  • Liner
  • Liner
TitleThe Garrick tea service
Materials and techniques
Silver with ivory handles and chased decoration
Brief description
Silver service with ivory handles by James Young & Orlando Jackson; London; 1774-75
Dimensions
  • Approx. height: 35cm
  • Approx. width: 11cm
  • Approx. depth: 15cm
Marks and inscriptions
Engraved with the coat of arms of David Garrick and his wife Eva Maria Veigel
Gallery label
British Galleries: David Garrick's theatrical success brought him considerable wealth and fame. He and his wife were celebrated leaders of fashion and this elegant Neo-classical service was probably commissioned for their London house in Robert Adam's fashionable Adelphi development, built between 1768 and 1772 on the Strand, London.(27/03/2003)
Credit line
Purchased with Art Fund support
Object history
This coffee pot is from Garrick's house in the Adelphi, the Adam terrace home which he was furnishing during 1772 and for which this service was probably intended. Made by James Young and Orlando Jackson (in partnership from 1774) in London
The service remained in the possession of Mrs Garrick until her death in 1822. It was later acquired by the Solly family. It was lent to the Stratford-on-Avon Museum, and was subsequently in the United States of America.
Summary
Object Type
The vase forms and decoration of fluting, swags and wreaths show that the service was made in the most stylish Neo-classical taste. Serving tea to company during this period was an opportunity for the display of status and wealth.

People
Regarded by some of their contemporaries as social climbers, the actor David Garrick and his wife, Eva, were nevertheless part of literary, artistic and aristocratic circles where fashionable clothing and furnishing were essential to credibility.

Places
The actor David Garrick purchased a London town house in architect, Robert Adam's fashionable Adelphi development by the river at Charing Cross, finished in 1772. The tea service was purchased as part of a large order of silver of £190 from the goldsmith Henry Shepherd and may have been intended to furnish the Garrick's new home in the Adelphi.

Trading
David Garrick ordered the service through the goldsmith, Henry Shepherd, who contracted out the making of the silver to the workshop of silversmiths James Young and Orlando Jackson. The silversmithing trade relied upon a complex network of skills and it was not unusual for several specialists to co-operate to make and decorate silver to the customer's specification. A surviving bill shows that this silver cost David Garrick the large sum of £88 14s.
Bibliographic reference
Collection
Accession number
M.24B-1973

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Record createdJanuary 23, 2003
Record URL
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