Chinoiserie style antique silver tea caddy
Chinoiserie style antique silver tea caddy
7801
A fine and rare antique silver tea caddy in the Chinoiserie style from the Victorian era. This superb box has a gilded interior and a central partition to hold Chinese and Indian tea in each compartment. The caddy is fitted with a lock and key.
In true chinoiserie style, the panelled body features typical scenes showing many aspects of the tea harvesting, the shipping of the tea and local landscapes on either end panel. The hand chasing is wonderful. The palm tree handles and finial of a pigtailed Chinese worker tending a tea plant are cast, and the chasing is wonderful.
Reaching its height of popularity in the 17th and 18th centuries, the word chinoiserie derives from chinois, the French word for Chinese and, like this silver tea caddy, is characterised by whimsical designs, lush garden scenery and embellished finishes.
It is the interpretation and idyllic representation of Chinese and East Asian culture, personified by its romanticised, theatrical and playful perceptions of life in the Far East.
Dimensions:
1854
London
Excellent
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