An important William IV Irish Tea Caddy made in Dublin in 1836 by R.W. Smith.
An important William IV Irish Tea Caddy made in Dublin in 1836 by R.W. Smith.
374943
Very few tea caddies are known to exist from Ireland, they are something which was not produced in great quabtities in this part of Europe. This is only the second which we have seen since we were established in 1967. The Caddy is upright rectangular in form and is embossed and chased in high relief with two scenes. The larger side displaying a central Chinese character harvesting tea leaves, with a wicker basket. The background displays bold "C" scrolls and Spitalfields designs, Rococo shells and a Lion mask at the top in addition to the lion's hairy paws, giving the impression that it is climing up the side of the caddy. The other two sides display a Chinese building, with palm leaves above on a background of Spitalfields designs, surrounded by raised "C" scrolls. This piece has a sliding cover decorated with a beautiful detailed cast floral sprig from a tea plant surrounded by a raised reed, scroll and shell frame. The Tea Caddy is in excellent condition and is of an exceptional weight and gauge. It is fully marked on the base and with the duty mark on the cover.
This very rare design was first produced by Paul De Lamerie and a similar pair of tea caddies, by De Lamerie, 1751, are contained within the Jerome & Rita Gans Collection in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. R.W. Smith was a respected silversmith as he was elected Freeman of the Goldsmiths Company in 1818.
Height, to the top of the finial: 6 inches, 15 cm.
Length: 4.1 inches, 10.25 cm.
Width: 3 inches, 7.5 cm.
Weight: 19oz.
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![](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://marycooke.co.uk/british-silver-1760-1830/an-important-william-iv-irish-tea-caddy-made-in-dublin-in-1836-by-rw-smith&media=https://seek-unique-co.s3.amazonaws.com/marycooke-8876-Qfhef-OE67/6509ef3e528b3_image_url_hr890.jpg&description=Very few tea caddies are known to exist from Ireland, they are something which was not produced in great quabtities in this part of Europe. This is only the second which we have seen since we were established in 1967. The Caddy is upright rectangular in form and is embossed and chased in high relief with two scenes. The larger side displaying a central Chinese character harvesting tea leaves, with a wicker basket. The background displays bold "C" scrolls and Spitalfields designs, Rococo shells and a Lion mask at the top in addition to the lion's hairy paws, giving the impression that it is climing up the side of the caddy. The other two sides display a Chinese building, with palm leaves above on a background of Spitalfields designs, surrounded by raised "C" scrolls. This piece has a sliding cover decorated with a beautiful detailed cast floral sprig from a tea plant surrounded by a raised reed, scroll and shell frame. The Tea Caddy is in excellent condition and is of an exceptional weight and gauge. It is fully marked on the base and with the duty mark on the cover.This very rare design was first produced by Paul De Lamerie and a similar pair of tea caddies, by De Lamerie, 1751, are contained within the Jerome & Rita Gans Collection in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. R.W. Smith was a respected silversmith as he was elected Freeman of the Goldsmiths Company in 1818.Height, to the top of the finial: 6 inches, 15 cm.Length: 4.1 inches, 10.25 cm.Width: 3 inches, 7.5 cm.Weight: 19oz.){kind=link}