Tea Caddy
ca. 1780-90 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Tea canisters were utilised as part of the tea service in Europe to maintain and preserve tea and its fragrance. The curved form of the cannister is modelled on earlier designs in silver or pewter with similar porcelain cannisters being manufactured in China from the 1770s. The design on the body of the vessel, depicting a landscape scene of a pagoda and a man carrying baskets over a bridge, was a European adaption of a traditional Chinese landscape. Chinese landscape patterns were extremely popular with similar designs incorporated into pieces produced by European ceramic factories. Gilding was often added in English workshops as Chinese gilding was considered of inferior quality as it wore away easily.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | porcelain with blue and gilt decoration |
| Brief description | Tea caddy and cover, with painted landscapes in blue, decorated with gilding, China, Jingdezhen, gilded in London, Qing dynasty, ca. 1780-1790 |
| Physical description | Tea caddy and lid, painted in blue and decorated with gilding, it is of rectangular section with arched top and cylindrical neck; on the sides are landscapes and buildings; the top and the cover, which have a wavy edge, are decorated with gilt festoons and blue floral sprays. Painted in imitation of English transfer-printed ware. The gilding was added in England, probably at Baxter's workshop in London. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Given by Miss Alice Hanslip |
| Object history | Given by Miss Alice Hanslip, accessioned in 1907. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Tea canisters were utilised as part of the tea service in Europe to maintain and preserve tea and its fragrance. The curved form of the cannister is modelled on earlier designs in silver or pewter with similar porcelain cannisters being manufactured in China from the 1770s. The design on the body of the vessel, depicting a landscape scene of a pagoda and a man carrying baskets over a bridge, was a European adaption of a traditional Chinese landscape. Chinese landscape patterns were extremely popular with similar designs incorporated into pieces produced by European ceramic factories. Gilding was often added in English workshops as Chinese gilding was considered of inferior quality as it wore away easily. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 332-1907 |
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| Record created | February 13, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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