Tea Caddy
1800-1820 (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 tea caddy has painted decoration with a landscape, flowers and trophies, and two sets of initials painted on the inner lid. Judging by the quality of the painting and the presence of the initials this caddy was not professionally decorated but probably painted by an amateur at home.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Wood, painted; ivory |
| Brief description | Square tea caddy with painted decoration of a landscape, flowers and trophies, 1780-1800 |
| Physical description | Tea caddy of square form with domed lid, with painted decoration on a pale varnished wood ground. The top is painted with fruit in a basket, with borders of floral sprays on the angled edges. The front is painted with a landscape with trees in the foreground and a church in the distance. One side is painted with a trophy of a shield surrounded by weapons, flags and musical instruments; on the other side is a trophy with a ship on water with an anchor, flags and weapons. On the back is a naturalistic spray of roses. The inner lid is painted with two sets of initials within oval wreaths, and has a turned ivory knob. |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Credit line | Given by Thomas Sutton, Esq., in memory of his wife |
| 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. |
| Subjects 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 tea caddy has painted decoration with a landscape, flowers and trophies, and two sets of initials painted on the inner lid. Judging by the quality of the painting and the presence of the initials this caddy was not professionally decorated but probably painted by an amateur at home. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.75&A-1919 |
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| Record created | October 24, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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