Tea Caddy
ca. 1790-1820 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The interior of this lacquered box is divided into two compartments. Each contains a pewter tea caddy with two sets of lids. The lid of the box is inscribed with the owner's monogram WJCCB. This piece is a typical export item, and a reminder that tea was originally an expensive luxury.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 7 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Wooden box, covered with black lacquer, with gold lacquer decoration; pewter tea caddies |
| Brief description | Box of lacquered wood, decorated with gold lacquer on a black ground in Japanese maki-e style. Overall decoration of symmetrical floral scrolls against a complex network of triangles and hexagons enclosing circles. Inside contains two pewter caddies decorated on the upper surface with a floral pattern against a ring-matted ground. |
| Physical description | Rectangular box with hinged lid, the interior divided into two compartments, each containing a removable tea caddy with two sets of lids. The box is of lacquered wood with gold decoration on black ground. The pewter caddies have been etched and engraved in low relief on the upper surface only. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | W.J.C.C.B. (The personal monogram indicates that the box was custom-made for the European market.)
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| Credit line | Mrs Constance Elizabeth Horton Bequest |
| Summary | The interior of this lacquered box is divided into two compartments. Each contains a pewter tea caddy with two sets of lids. The lid of the box is inscribed with the owner's monogram WJCCB. This piece is a typical export item, and a reminder that tea was originally an expensive luxury. |
| Bibliographic reference | Clunas, Craig, Chinese Export Art and Design, V&A, 1987, p. 93.
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | FE.170 to F-1975 |
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| Record created | April 6, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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