Augustin Le Sage Furniture

An important & extremely rare George III tea caddy modelled as a tea chest. Made in London in 1767 by Augustin Le Sage. The Tea Caddy, which is cube shaped in form, is modelled to simulate the chests in which tea was imported from China and is one of the rarest designs of English Tea Caddy to be found. As you will see from the images, the sides are engraved with vertical lines to simulate the planks of the chest and outer bands of attractive pluming scrolls on a scratch engraved ground. Each side is engraved with a Chinese character and the key hole is surrounded by foliate sprays and shell details. The hinged cover displays a cast floral and foliate finial, modelled as a sprig from a tea plant. The tea caddy also possesses its original lock. These chests were featured on the trade cards of Eighteenth century Grocers such as Chandler and Newsom, tea dealers and grocers. The tea caddy is in excellent condition and is fully marked on the base and with the sterling mark and maker's mark on the cover. Up until 1678, the Dutch dominated the tea trade before the Britsih began importing tea on a commercial scale. Dried tea leaves were imported from China in large wooden chests or crates, on which this tea caddy is modelled - complete with decorative symbols intended to emulate the Chinese characters on the sides of the wooden import tea crates...

THE FARLEY CASTLE CUP The Cup stands on a stepped pedestal foot which is decorated with a band of gadrooning, as well as swirl fluting and beading. The slightly baluster main bod...