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Tea caddie
Date: 1800-1820
Place: Canton - China
Price: € 1.460
Article-nr.: B105 Order this object Description;
This is a very expressive antique, hinged, lacquer work tea chest with brass handles. Made in Canton, Southern China in ca. 1800-20. This very Oriental object of superior quality, is not at all commonplace. It still has its original pewter embossed and engraved liner, with ivory knob, being also equipped with the world famous “Houdini like,” Bramah Patent Lock of London, England. Made almost exclusively, as a dazzling advertising and exhibition piece for the tea merchants trade - but also for display in large retail outlets, where large amounts of tea were called for. It could also have been on show in the large metropolitan tea and coffee houses, hotels, gentleman’s club etc, thereby giving very much extra panache to the general atmosphere and tea products themselves.
The outside decoration is almost impossible to put into words. All of the visible sides, are profusely decorated with lacquer work cartouches, showing a palace dignitary holding a court audience; everything is surrounded with a abundance of garden landscapes and floral designs. The inside lid, is finished in black and gold floral lacquer work.
Condition; This item, is overall in a very good and robust state, however, the lacquer and decoration have in places, suffered some of the cosmetic effects of daily use. There are however, absolutely no major constructive faults or defects. As might be expected in an object which is the better part of 200 years old, there are some superficial nibbles, scratching etc, to the object. It might be best to zoom in on the document photographs, in order to get a really good impression of the object. There is conversely, nothing unusual about the condition of such an object, with its special pedigree and age. We feel that it would need a bit of space, and good lighting for it come into its true right, as it certainly does make a very ornamental statement. In the home it could easily fit in as a decorative object for storage, of either sewing materials, personal effects or use in the kitchen etc.
Alternatively, it could fit quite easily into a hotel / restaurant environment, perhaps in the lobby or reception area, or as an eye catching centerpiece at a nicely tiered a buffet table. A previous owner, living in an era of “tea bags” with a field sports background, rather ingeniously had it filled with cracked ice and champagne at a Polo Match and later, it once again proved both its ornamental and practical merits at an ”International Concourse Hippique,” or horse riding forum. It might also best be described as being both a decorative and functional object, which has well stood the test of time. The original and exclusive, Bramah Patent Lock, just adds that extra special “conversation element” to the object. The centimeter size is ca; Length; 34.5 Height; 21.5 Width; 27.2
Shipping; worldwide
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