Tea Caddies
to
57
484
10
4
102
311
71
14
34
20
9
6
4
6
4
2
5
2
2
112
72
59
10
10
5
4
4
3
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
302
239
101
78
76
258
216
384
295
222
48
35
Height
to
Width
to
498
498
498
8
5
2
2
2
Tea Caddies For Sale
Caribbean Mahogany Hinged Pedestal Tea Poy with Foliage Carvings, Circa 1820
Located in Charleston, SC
Caribbean mahogany hinged pedestal tea poy with fitted interior, foliate carvings, and resting on the original scrolled feet. Early 19th century.
Category
1820s Caribbean Anglo-Indian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Brass
Sunset Bowl, Jean François Reboul
Located in Paris, FR
Satin bowl by Jean François Reboul made of clay and enamel using Raku technique in 2019.
“Certificate of Authenticity” provided by the gallery.
...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Tea Caddies
Materials
Enamel
Antique Sterling Silver Tea Caddy and Spoon (1914)
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique George V English sterling silver tea caddy and spoon; an addition to our silver teaware collection.
This exceptional antique George V ste...
Category
1910s English Vintage Tea Caddies
Materials
Sterling Silver
Satin Bowl, Jean François Reboul
Located in Paris, FR
Satin bowl by Jean François Reboul made of clay and enamel using Raku technique in 2019.
“Certificate of Authenticity” provided by the gallery.
...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Tea Caddies
Materials
Enamel
English inlaid tea caddy with brass paw feet
Located in Charleston, SC
English inlaid tea caddy with brass paw feet
Category
1790s English Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Mahogany
$2,080 Sale Price
20% Off
English Georgian Tea Caddy with Inlay and Interior Lid, 19th Century
Located in Savannah, GA
English Georgian Tea Caddy with Inlay and Interior Lid, 19th Century
Category
19th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Wood
A brass bound Anglo-Indian teak Decanter Box for 4 bottles
Located in London, GB
A brass bound Anglo-Indian teak Decanter Box for 4 bottles. The Box is well made with both brass edging and straps screwed on. To the sides are skeletal campaign handles and the escutcheon is a diamond shape. The box has a key. The interior has dividers to separate the 4 replaced decanters but is not lined in a cushioning material such as velvet or leather as most English boxes are. The top of the box has an engraved brass plate noting the owner as ‘Wm Durrant’. There were a few William Durrants in India in the first half of the 19th century with not enough evidence to pick one as prime candidate for the owner of the box. Most decanter boxes used by officers or travellers are British or European and it is uncommon to find one made in India or to see one in teak. Early to mid 19th Century. H 10 1/2 W 9 D 9 inchesAnglo-Indian Campaign Decanter Box
Category
Mid-19th Century Anglo-Indian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Brass
English 19th Century Parnall & Sons Green Painted Tea Box with Glass Front
Located in Atlanta, GA
An English Parnall & Son green painted metal tea box from the 19th century with gilt painted floral frieze, glass front flat back and maker's mark. This English Parnall & Son green p...
Category
19th Century English Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Metal
English Calamander Hinged Tea Caddy with Flanking Brass Floral Handles, C. 1800
Located in Charleston, SC
English Calamander hinged tea caddy with removable two lidded interior bins, centered mixing bowl, flanking brass floral side handles, locking key with tassel, and terminating on the...
Category
Early 1800s English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Brass
Large Art Deco Grocers Tolewear Double Coffee and Tea Canister
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
Large Art Deco grocers tolewear double coffee and tea canister
This is a classic of Art Deco design, the decoration is very much in the Odeon style typical of toleware of this period
The Dowe Egbert double display...
Category
1920s Dutch Art Deco Vintage Tea Caddies
Regency Mahogany Miniature Sideboard Tea Caddy
Located in Bedfordshire, GB
A charming and rare early 19th Century Regency Period mahogany tea caddy, in the form of a miniature pedestal sideboard, having extremely well figured, crossbanded hinged top, over d...
Category
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Mahogany
Antique Chinese Silver Bamboo Tea Caddy by Hung Chong
Located in New York, NY
Chinese export silver tea caddy, circa 1900. Baluster with drum-form neck and cover. Chased and repousse bamboo and blossoming prunus branches on stippled ground. Plain band at shoulder. Also plain are foot rim, neck, and cover sides. Cover top has circular frame (vacant). Fully marked with Chinese characters and letters HC for Hung Chong...
Category
Late 19th Century Chinese Chinese Export Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Silver
Georgian Sterling Silver Set of Two Tea Caddies
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive pair of antique Georgian English sterling silver tea caddies; an addition to our silver teaware collection.
These exceptional antique George II sterling silver tea caddies have a circular baluster shaped form.
The surface of each antique tea caddy is embellished with very sharp, finely chased floral and foliate decoration, incorporating a scroll bordered vacant cartouche to either side.
The ornamentation to the body of each piece incorporates a plain applied moulded girdle.
These caddies are fitted with a cylindrical push fit covers encircled with leaf decorated textures.
The covers are surmounted with the original cast sterling silver leaf decorated finials.
These impressive antique tea caddies...
Category
Mid-18th Century English George II Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Silver, Sterling Silver
1910s Austro-Hungarian Silver Tea Caddy
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Austro-Hungarian 800 standard silver tea caddy in the Art Nouveau style; an addition to our silver teaware collection.
This exceptional Austro-Hungarian silver tea caddy has an oval rounded form.
The surface of this antique silver tea caddy...
Category
20th Century English Art Nouveau Tea Caddies
Materials
Silver, Sterling Silver
Antique 20th Century Russian Solid Silver Chinoiserie Tea Caddy, Moscow c.1900
Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Antique early 20th Century Imperial Russian partly gilt solid silver hexagonal tea caddy featuring a detailed Chinoiserie design, depicting a seated scholar surrounded by flowers. The decoration is partly gilded, adding depth and richness to the scene. The interior of the box is richly gilt, complementing the intricate exterior design and enhancing its overall opulence.
Hallmarked Russian Silver 84 (875 standard), Moscow, Assay Master (Ivan Lebedkin...
Category
20th Century Russian Other Tea Caddies
Materials
Silver
Georgian Sterling Silver Locking Double Cover Tea Caddy
By John Robins
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Georgian English sterling silver locking double cover tea caddy; an addition to our silver teaware collection.
This exceptional antique George III sterling silver locking tea caddy has a plain rounded rectangular form with incurved corners.
The surface of this caddy is plain and embellished to the lower portion of each side with fluted decoration.
This antique Georgian tea caddy...
Category
Early 1800s English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Silver, Sterling Silver
Antique 18th-Century Georgian Burr Yew Tea Caddy—Elegant, natural wooden box
Located in Saint Helena, CA
Two hundred years of history, meticulously craftsmanship, rare wood, and natural beauty!
This beautiful tea caddy is dated circa 1780, is "of the period" Georgian s...
Category
Late 18th Century English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Yew
Regency Tea Caddy
Located in Tampa, FL
A regency tea caddy made of rosewood inlaid with brass. Bronze dore feet are a winged lion with flowers and fruit. A wonderful and desirable shape. E...
Category
1820s English Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Brass, Bronze
20th Century Antique George V 1915 Sterling Silver and Cut Glass Tea Caddy
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
A fine and impressive antique George V English sterling silver and cut-glass tea caddy, an addition to our silver mounted glass collection.
This impressive antique George V cut-glass tea caddy has a circular rounded form.
The vessel of this antique silver tea caddy...
Category
1910s English Vintage Tea Caddies
Materials
Silver, Sterling Silver
George II period rococo design tea caddy suite made in London 1739 by John Pero
By John Pero
Located in London, London
Hallmarked in London in 1739 by John Pero, this stunning suite of George II Period, Antique Sterling Silver Tea Caddies and Sugar Caddy, are in the Rococo taste, featuring flat chase...
Category
1730s English Rococo Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Sterling Silver
Set of 3 Antique Silver Gilt Tea Caddies 1903-1906 Boxes
Located in London, GB
A set of three impressive solid Silver Tea Caddies decorated with ornated chased designs on the body and foot. Each has a chased push fit lid topped with a lovely berry and leaf fini...
Category
19th Century English Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Sterling Silver
Antique English Regency Mahogany Tea Caddy
Located in Lambertville, NJ
A very fine regency period mahogany tea caddy. Wonderful early surface that is rich with patina. The box expertly conceived and executed. The lid opens to reveal two lidded compartme...
Category
19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Mahogany
Brew Box
Located in Habo, SE
The Brew Box is made from walnut and ashwood, treated with a natural mix of linseed oil and wax that brings out the depth and warmth of the wood. It’s built with a unique joinery des...
Category
2010s Swedish Tea Caddies
Materials
Ceramic, Ash, Walnut
$17,397
19th century French oak and brass mounted tea caddy by Tahan of Paris C1880
Located in Central England, GB
A most impressive and highly decorative French large size double tea caddy made in tightly grained rich oak.
The rectangular box stands on circular shaped brass feet with brass bea...
Category
Late 19th Century French Louis Philippe Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Brass
Tortoiseshell Tea Caddy With Sunburst Design
Located in Dallas, TX
Circa 1870, English tortoiseshell tea caddy with sunburst design. It is absolutely the finest one I’ve ever owned! No cracks no restoration absolutely mint.
Category
1870s English Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Tortoise Shell
19th Century, English Regency Tea Caddy
Located in San Marino, CA
A 19th century mahogany English Regency tea caddy with silver markings of a family crest, griffon and ram on the top. The interior of this te...
Category
19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Mahogany
English Regency Mahogany Lyre Pedestal Brass Foliage Inlaid Tea Poy, Circa 1810
Located in Charleston, SC
English Regency mahogany rectangular hinged tea poy with fitted interior bins, central lyre pedestal, foliage brass inlays, flanking gilt floral pulls, and res...
Category
1810s English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Brass
1950s Tibetan Hand-Carved Metal Box with a Costumbrist Scene
Located in Marbella, ES
1950s Tibetan hand-carved metal box with a Costumbrist scene.
Category
Mid-20th Century Tibetan Tea Caddies
Materials
Metal
19th Century English Papier Mâché Tea Caddy
Located in San Francisco, CA
Lovely old papier mâché tea caddy with inlaid mother-of-pearl and hand-painted decoration, England, 19th century.
Category
19th Century English Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Mother-of-Pearl, Paper
An English Fruitwood Apple Form Tea Caddy
Located in Dallas, TX
A fine novelty fruitwood tea caddy in the form of an apple. lathe turned and with a soft honey patina, restoration to the lid at the hinge. England...
Category
Early 19th Century English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Fruitwood
Early 19th Century Mahogany Teapoy
Located in Martlesham, GB
Early 19th century mahogany teapoy, the shaped, crossbanded and hinged top opening to reveal two wooden containers with lids, with two compartment spaces ideal ...
Category
1810s British Georgian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Mahogany
$1,556 Sale Price
25% Off
Very Good Georgian Burr Elm Sarcophagus Shaped Tea Caddy, U.K, circa 1800
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
A very handsome early 19th century Georgian sarcophagus-shaped tea caddy in burr elm. The highly figured case fitted with a hinged canted top with a cross-banded edge, opening to an interior housing twin lidded tea canisters flanking a period cut-glass mixing bowl...
Category
Early 19th Century British Georgian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Elm, Cut Glass
Tea Chest, Germany First Half of the 19th Century
Located in Greding, DE
Lidded chest with a curved lid and a concave belly, standing on brass ball feet. The escutcheon is inlayed in bone. Mahogany veneered.
Category
Early 19th Century German Biedermeier Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Brass
$1,704 Sale Price
20% Off
Decorative Box, Mahogany, England, circa 1880
Located in Regensburg, DE
Mahogany solid wood, Shellac and-polished.
Brass hinges and lock.
Dimensions: H 60 cm x W 28.3 cm x 16.5 cm.
Category
Late 19th Century English Late Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Mahogany
Papier-Mâché Tea Caddie /1850 with Floral and Foliate Designs with Black Ground
Located in Houston, TX
Exquisite quality with exceptional workmanship and art. Floral designs are painted on all
Sides of this tea caddie. It sits on bracketed feet. Provenance: the estate of Mrs. Henry F...
Category
Mid-19th Century British Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Paper
Pair of Victorian Tole Tea Canisters
Located in Essex, MA
Octagonal form with Asian figures! Great old paint.
Category
1850s English Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Other
$2,800 / set
Rococo Pewter Tea Caddy
Located in Copenhagen, K
Very beautiful Rococo pewter tea caddy with lion on the lid.
Category
Late 18th Century Danish Rococo Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Pewter
$1,120 Sale Price
20% Off
Neoclassical Antique Sterling Silver Tea Caddy Set from 1797 by Robert Sharp
By Robert Sharp
Located in London, London
Hallmarked in London in 1797 by Robert Sharp, this rare and exceptional quality, George III, antique sterling silver tea caddy set, comprises two oval tea caddies and a sugar caddy...
Category
1790s English Neoclassical Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Sterling Silver
Antique George III sterling silver tea caddy
Located in London, GB
Classic late 18th century silver tea caddy of oblong form, and featuring delicately hand engraved bands and swags around the sides, and ...
Category
18th Century British George III Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Sterling Silver
19th Century Tea Caddy with Brass Ornaments
Located in Brea, CA
19th century lacquer tea caddy with brass ornaments. Has got an mahogany flamed color. Brass ornaments. Thick layer of lacquer over wood. Very good quality wood and is very beautiful...
Category
19th Century Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Lacquer
Pair of Antique 18th Century French Enamel Tea Caddies Circa 1780-1790
Located in London, GB
Pair of 18th century French enamel tea caddies in excellent condition.
The exterior pastoral scenes on each panel including the lids are all well executed.
The interiors are clean ...
Category
1780s French Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Copper, Enamel
ANTIQUE 1901 EDWARDIAN DATED STERLiNG SILVER MULLER & SON REPOUSSE TEA CADDY
By B. Muller & Son 1
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
Royal House Antiques
Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely original 1901 Chester hallmarked Sterling Silver tea caddy made by Muller & Son
A very good loo...
Category
Early 1900s English Edwardian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Sterling Silver
$1,389 Sale Price
20% Off
Tunbridge Ware Two Compartment Sarcophagus Tea Caddy c1860
Located in Tunbridge Wells, GB
Heading : Tunbridge ware sarcophagus tea caddy
Date : c1860
Period : Victoria
Origin : Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Decoration : Central floral mosaic bordered by a geometric pattern within...
Category
1860s British Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Wood
Large Regency Tea Caddy
Located in Tampa, FL
A large sarcophagus shaped rosewood tea caddy with a semi domed top. Original glass inside and two tea compartments. Mother of pearl inlaid escutcheon. On bun feet. The interior is f...
Category
1820s English Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Glass, Wood
Antique English Victorian Mahogany Teapoy, Circa 1880-1890
Located in New Orleans, LA
Antique English Victorian mahogany teapoy, Circa 1880-1890.
Category
Late 19th Century English Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Mahogany
Regency Tea Caddy
Located in Tampa, FL
This is a wonderful English regency tea caddy in rosewood. Beautifully executed, the carving is fantastic. It’s on burn feet and its velvet lined interior is complete. The silver is ...
Category
Early 1800s English Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Rosewood
William IV Mahogany Tea Caddy in the Form of a Pedestal Sideboard
Located in Lymington, Hampshire
An unusual William IV mahogany tea caddy in the form of a pedestal sideboard with a hinged lid opening to reveal a central well for a mixing bowl (now missing) flanked by two removab...
Category
1830s English William IV Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Mahogany
Two Compartment Tunbridge Ware Tea Caddy c1860
Located in Tunbridge Wells, GB
Heading : Tunbridge ware tea caddy c1860
Date : c1860
Period : Victoria
Origin : Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Decoration : Sarcophagus shape. Central floral mosaic within keylines borde...
Category
1860s British Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Wood
18th Century Tea Caddy
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Made in the late 18th century into the early 19th century in the style of Georgian, and made from strong mahogany wood. Clamped together by metal hardware. There was once a key to lo...
Category
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Mahogany
Antique English Rosewood Teapoy Table with Complete Interior, Circa 1845-1865.
Located in New Orleans, LA
Antique English Victorian Rosewood Teapoy Table with Complete Interior, Circa 1845-1865.
Category
Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Rosewood
Stunning Engraved Neoclassical Antique Sterling Silver Tea Caddy - London 1806
Located in London, London
Hallmarked in London in 1806 by Thomas Paine Dexter, this charming, George III period, Antique Sterling Silver Tea Caddy, is oval in shape, and in the Neoclassical taste, with bright cut engraved decoration to the body and lid, a tea plant finial, and an engraved crest to the cartouche.
The tea caddy measures 4.25"(11cm) tall, by 4.5"(11.5cm) wide, by 3.25"(8.5cm) deep, and weighs 11 troy ounces.
The crest is likely that of John Trotter...
Category
Early 1800s English Neoclassical Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Sterling Silver
Early Tunbridge Ware Tea Caddy with Two Compartments c1830
Located in Tunbridge Wells, GB
Heading : Early Tunbridge ware tea caddy with two compartments
Date : c1830
Period : George IV / William IV
Origin : Tunbridge Wells or Tonbridge, Kent
Decoration : Central styli...
Category
1830s British Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Wood
Oriental Papier-Mâché Decorative Box Painted on the Outside and Lacquered Inside
Located in Marbella, ES
Oriental Papier-Mâché Decorative Box Painted on the Outside and Lacquered Inside
Category
Mid-20th Century Chinese Tea Caddies
Materials
Paper
Pair of George III Cased Tea Caddies, London, 1793, William Frisbee
Located in London, GB
The Faulkbourne hall cased tea caddies. An important and very unusual pair of George III tea caddies made in London in 1793 by William Frisbee, all contained within a contemporary velvet and silk lined satinwood case. The hinges and handle also hallmarked for 1793.
The pair of tea caddies are of an unusual oval form with upwardly curved rim. The sides are beautifully engraved with an upper and lower band of bright cut scrolls and foliate motifs on a scratch engraved and prick dot ground. Each side is engraved with an unusual bright cut cartouche with incuse corners. One cartouche is vacant and the other is engraved with a contemporary Scottish Crest with the motto "Nil Conscrire Sibi - Consious of no Wrong " above. The curved, slightly domed, cover is engraved with an outer band identical to those shown on the sides and terminates in a Neo Classical urn finial, also engraved with bright cut designs. The caddies are most unusual as they open from the side, not in the usual manner from the front. The caddies are each in excellent condition and are fully marked in the foot and with the maker's mark and sterling mark on the cover.
The pair of caddies are contained within a most breathtaking satinwood case with hallmarked hinges and escutcheon shaped handle and reeded oval mounts. It is most unusual to find fully hallmarked hinges, and handle, which accurately date the case, as the same date as the caddies. The interior is lined with the original silk, velvet and gold braid.
The Crest and Motto are those of Lieut-Col Jonathan Bullock of Faulkbourne Hall, County Essex. He was M.P. for Essex in many parliaments and, in 1763, married Miss Elizabeth Lante. He died without issue in 1809 and his estates devolved upon his nephew Jonathan Joshua Christopher Watson who, in 1810, assumed the surname and Arms of Bullock by Royal Licence. The Bullock family were descended from Robert Bullock of Herburghfield, County Berkshire. He was Sheriff of County Berks and Oxford under Richard II. He died in 1405.
Faulkbourne Hall is a Grade 1 listed Manor House in the village of Faulkbourne in Essex, the manor being first mentioned under Edward the Confessor. The earliest surviving parts of the Hall, a red brick building with turrets, date from the 15th century. Sir Edward Bullock, Knight, purchased the Hall and Manor of Faulkbourne in 1637. The hall is considered a fine specimen of early Tudor red...
Category
1790s English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Sterling Silver
Edwardian 'Drum Shape' Antique Sterling Silver Tea Caddy - London 1905
By Blackburn & Tysall
Located in London, London
Hallmarked in London in 1905 by Blackburn & Tysall, this very attractive, Edwardian, Antique Sterling Silver Tea Caddy, features bright cut engraved decorative bands and cartouche, a...
Category
Early 1900s English Edwardian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Sterling Silver
Mid 19th Century Antique Tea Caddy in Mahogany c1840
Located in Tunbridge Wells, GB
Heading : 19th century antique tea caddy c1840
Period : Victoria
Origin : England
Decoration : Cuboid in mahogany with lighter colou...
Category
1840s British Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Wood
French Black Lacquer, Mother of Pearl and Brass Inlay Tea Caddy
Located in Tampa, FL
A beautiful tea caddy with original key and original interior it is black lacquer, mother of pearl and has a brass inlay design all over the box. 19th century, France.
Category
19th Century French Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Brass
18th Century Burr Thornwood Tea Caddy
Located in Lincolnshire, GB
A fine example of a burr thorn and crossbanded tea caddy of superb color and patina with the original brass handle and bracket feet,
circa 1750.
Category
18th Century English Antique Tea Caddies
Materials
Wood
Dutch Silver Tea Caddy
Located in Montreal, QC
Of oval outline; the body repousse with scenes of merrymaking, after Teniers, the hinged cover with radiating design and pierced gallery. Very well-made, this is a cheerful Dutch box...
Category
1920s Dutch Vintage Tea Caddies
Materials
Silver
$1,200
Dogs Candy Box by Edouard-Marcel Sandoz
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Dogs candy box by Edouard Marcel Sandoz (1881-1971) and manufactured by Haviland.
Wapler, Jacques-Ph. (1999) "De la sculpture a la porcelaine" p. 66.
France, CIRCA 1920.
Category
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Tea Caddies
Materials
Porcelain
Vintage, New and Antique Tea Caddies
There are lots of uses for your vintage, new or antique tea caddies, but they can certainly serve their original intended purpose if needed.
When tea first gained popularity during the 1800s, and teatime became commonplace in homes all over England, it was an expensive commodity owing to excessive taxation. (This, of course, inevitably yielded a black market for tea leaves.) Tea drinkers hoarded their precious goods, which began to arrive in London ports from China during the 17th century, under lock and key. In luxury homes, tea leaves were stowed away in a decorative jar or canister called a tea caddy that was fitted with a lock, or, alternatively, the container was kept in a secured chest or storage cabinet.
Tea was thought to be not just a delicious drink but also to have medicinal benefits. The Chinese had been praising the healthy properties of tea, and wealthy Europeans were eager to discover its benefits for themselves during their ritual afternoon tea. The idea of “teatime” wasn’t a social event in upper-class British homes until the 1830s or 1840s. During Queen Victoria’s reign, small baked treats might be served with your beverage, and teakettles and coffeepots were part of tea services that could include teacups, saucers, a milk pot and other accessories.
When tea cultivation was relegated to British colonies such as India, and the British East India Company could no longer hold onto its trade monopoly with China, tea was no longer a ritual confined to the wealthy. Today, antique and vintage tea caddies are collector’s items all over the world.
Tea caddies weren’t unique to Europeans. The earliest pieces originated in China. Surviving hand-painted examples from China or elsewhere in Asia made of porcelain might feature enameled landscapes or other designs. At the Taft Museum of Art, there are striking enameled 18th-century-era tea caddies of copper that were given to the institution in 2014. Wooden tea caddies materialized over time and were seen as sturdier than their ceramic counterparts.
Today, there are all kinds of ways to use a vintage tea caddy if you’re passing on tea. They’re a welcome decorative flourish on the mantel in your living room, for example. A metal tea caddy, lined with a plastic bag, can be used to cultivate an herb garden on your kitchen windowsill. An old wooden tea caddy can help keep your paper clips or pushpins organized on your desk too. If you’re always on the go, a tea tin is good for packing earbuds, hand sanitizer, gum or whatever else that might get easily lost in a roomy crossbody messenger bag or other shoulder bag.
Teatime or not, find antique and vintage mid-century modern tea caddies, tortoiseshell caddies and more on 1stDibs.
Recently Viewed
View AllMore Ways To Browse
Tea Bin
Antique French Tea Caddy
Antique Japanese Tea Box
Antique Japanese Tea Caddy
Footed Tea Caddy
Tea Caddy Stand
Tea Caddy With Key
Antique Apple Boxes
Antique Fruitwood Tea Caddy
Bombe Tea Caddy
Chinese Pewter Tea Caddy
Fruit Tea Caddy
Monkey Teapot
Tortoiseshell Box 18th Century
Japanese Canister
Pewter Canister
Wooden Canister
Antique Coffee Bean Dispenser