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Regency English Penwork Double Tea Caddy, Gold on Black Ground

$3,000
£2,242.47
€2,616.65
CA$4,212.61
A$4,285.11
CHF 2,446.86
MX$51,830.81
NOK 28,531.69
SEK 28,968.85
DKK 19,561.37

About the Item

Regency English Penwork Double Tea Caddy, Gold on Black Ground This English penwork tea caddy is of octagonal form with canted corners, decorated overall in gold on a black ground. Scrolling vines, tulips, poppy heads, strawberries and ivy run over every surface, inhabited by small birds, butterflies and insects, the whole enclosed within narrow leafy borders at the rim and foot and framed on the cover by a canted panel border. The hinged cover carries a metal ring handle and the front a painted diamond escutcheon. The interior is divided into two compartments, each with its fitted cover and turned bone knob. Two compartments meant two teas: green and black, hyson and bohea, kept separate so that the mistress of the house could mix them at the table to her own proportion. She kept the key, and the caddy was locked, tea at this date being expensive enough to be worth stealing. Penwork is a specifically English technique of the Regency. A japanned black ground was laid over a softwood carcase, the ornament painted in over it, and the fine detail — the veining of every leaf, the hatched shading, the feathers of the birds — drawn on afterwards with a pen and India ink before varnishing. It was practiced by professional decorators and by accomplished amateurs alike, and the labor is all in the drawing: on a box of this size the pen has been over the surface tens of thousands of times. Dimensions Height: 4¾ inches (12.1 cm) Width: 8⅛ inches (20.6 cm) Depth: 5 inches (12.7 cm) Provenance Earle D. Vandekar of Knightsbridge Condition Good antique condition, the penwork decoration remaining clear and legible across all surfaces. Rubbing and wear to the decoration at the edges, corners and canted angles, with scattered small losses to the japanned ground and a worn and chipped area around the keyhole. Both interior compartment covers are present with their bone knobs, a good survival, and are stained from use; the paper lining to the inside of the cover is soiled and abraded. The hinges appear to be later replacements. Historical Context Tea reached England as a luxury and stayed one for a century and a half. Duty ran as high as 119 percent before Pitt's Commutation Act of 1784 cut it to 12.5, and even afterward tea was costly enough that the caddy was a locked box kept in the drawing room rather than the kitchen, its key on the mistress's chatelaine. The word comes from the Malay kati, a weight of rather more than a pound, which was the unit tea was shipped in. Penwork boxes were made across the Regency in imitation of imported Asian lacquer, and the double-compartment form, holding green and black tea for blending, is the classic English arrangement. (Ref: NY10874-lrrx)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 4.75 in (12.07 cm)Width: 8.13 in (20.66 cm)Depth: 5 in (12.7 cm)
  • Style:
    Regency (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Wood
  • Place of Origin:
    England
  • Period:
    Early 19th Century
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1820
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use.
  • Seller Location:
    Downingtown, PA
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: NY10874-lrrx1stDibs: LU861046522842

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