Description

Rare shagreen tea chest with silver handle and ornate escutcheon. Standing on four silver feet.

Lifting the lid of the shagreen tea chest reveals a red velvet-lined interior containing an elegantly engraved and monogrammed pair of sterling silver tea caddies and sugar bowl by London Silversmith Samuel Taylor.

This wonderful shagreen tea chest comes with a fully work lock and tasselled key. The key must be turned clockwise to unlock.

All our items come with authentication certificate with image, as well as our latest catalogue, care instructions and separate invoice for insurance purposes. On top of this our items come with 14 day no quibble money back guarantee and are all fully insured for when shipping.

THE HISTORY OF ANTIQUE TEA CADDIES
In England in the 1700s, tea was an expensive commodity. To keep it safe, people would store it in a Tea Chest or Tea Box, which eventually became known as a Tea Caddy (the word caddy is derived from the Malay”kati”, a unit of weight by which tea was sold). As tea was too expensive to risk leaving in the presence of servants, the caddy in which it was stored would generally be kept in the drawing-room. Subsequently, the Tea Caddy became an important & fashionable accessory for the home.
Tea Caddies were made in a huge variety of styles and materials. Some contained glass bowls. The bowl is believed to be either for sugar or for the purpose of mixing different varieties of tea to the drinker’s personal taste. As tea became cheaper in the early 1800s, its use was much more widespread, increasing the demand for tea caddies. However, by the late 1800s when tea could be bought pre-packed, the demand for tea caddies as functional items gradually disappeared.

Today Tea Caddies are sought after as decorative pieces, in all shapes & forms.
Purchasing a Tea Caddy / Tea Chest from us you can be satisfied that they have been carefully examined and assessed, and only restored where absolutely necessary.

All boxes at Mark Goodger Antiques are professionally restored using traditional skills all by hand. Purchasing a box from us you can be satisfied in thinking that they have been carefully looked over and only restored where necessary. Buying a box from us gives you peace of mind you are buying an original item, and from a dealer who belongs to three leading trade associations and abides by all their strict conducts of code. Mark Goodger is a CADA & LAPADA Member.

Additional information