Description

A stunning quality set of antique silver tea caddies and covered sugar bowl in a later fitted lockable tortoiseshell box with silver mounts. Very heavy gauge, cast silver. The deeply embossed and chased silver decoration is particularly attractive and each piece has a cartouche with a lion crest to the front. The two baluster shaped caddies, for green and black tea, have lift off tops. The bowl has a hinged lid with a bouquet of flowers finial.

Total weight of 3 boxes 1,373 grams, 44 troy ounces.

Tea caddy height 16.5cm. Sugar bowl height 15.5cm.

London 1751.

Maker John Jacobs, of Hugeunot origin.

The box handle is hallmarked for London 1805, maker “JS”.

Sterling silver.

Literature. Tea in the early 18th Century was expensive, and also there was a tax on tea, so early tea caddies were small and made in precious materials such as silver, shagreen or tortoiseshell which reflected the valuable contents within. A Tea Caddy is a box, jar, canister, or other receptacle used to store tea. The word is believed to be derived from “catty”, the Chinese pound, equal to about a pound and a third avoirdupois. The earliest examples that came to Europe were Chinese tea canisters in blue and white porcelain with china lids or stoppers. Some of the earliest silver examples have sliding bases (or tops) and the cap was used for measuring the tea. By the mid 18th century matching sets were available, with two caddies (for green and black tea) and a sugar bowl, all fitted into a wooden or shagreen case, often with silver mounts.

The caddies and bowl are in very good condition. All stamped with a full matching set of English hallmarks., The makers marks on the two caddies are not very well struck but still faintly visible, covers of two smaller caddies unmarked. The box is in generally good condition, with small losses to the veneers. Please note that this item is not new and will show moderate signs of wear commensurate with age. Reflections in the photograph may detract from the true representation of this item.

Maker: John Jacob

John Jacob, London silversmith, no record of apprenticeship or freedom. Huguenot. 1st mark entered as largeworker 1734. 2nd mark 1739. Married Anne, daughter of Augustin Courtauld. His work includes a fine pair of candlesticks in the Ashmolean Museum and many good quality rococo baskets, candlesticks and hollowware.

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