Victorian Hungarian Ash Tea Caddy

About the Item

A charming Mid-19th Century hungarian ash tea caddy of unusual design, having applied tablet & chequered strung decoration to well figured exterior, with slightly domed hinged top enclosing interior fitted with single lid. It's always nice to find things which are a little different to what we have seen before and this mid 19th Century tea caddy is exactly that in terms of its most unusual design. The square tablets are a type of decoration which we have not come across before on a tea caddy, but it works really well alongside the hungarian ash veneers, creating an item which has real boldness to it for something so small. Its also worth noting that the strung decoration and slight dome shape to the lid both add a real elegance to the piece and clearly a lot of thought went into the design. Hungarian Ash, as the name suggests is a type of ash which grew in Hungary and was exported to the UK from around 1830 onwards. Desired for its incredibly strong figuring it was widely used by Holland & Sons, as well as various other high end London cabinet making firms during the Victorian period. Tea was a precious commodity throughout the 18th and 19th centuries and the purpose of a tea caddy was not just to preserve the and extend the life of the precious tea leaves, but also to enable the owner to lock away those aforementioned valuable tea leaves, keeping them safe from the house staffs potential wandering hands. This tea caddy comes with a fully functioning lock and key, plus has been cleaned and traditionally waxed polished by our highly skilled and well trained specialist antique furniture restorers in our workshops before being offered for sale. circa 1860. Measures: Height 5.25in. Width 6in. Depth 5in.

Dimensions:

Height: 5.25 in (13.34 cm)Width: 6 in (15.24 cm)Depth: 5 in (12.7 cm)

Style:

Victorian (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Ash

Place of Origin:

England

Period:

Mid-19th Century

Date of Manufacture:

circa 1860