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Liquid profits from a thirst for tea caddies
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By yi
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Liquid profits from a thirst for tea caddies
HAS there ever been a habit so quintessentially British as drinking tea ? The inhabitants of these islands are famous for their love of it, which makes it rather ironic that it was not originally a British habit at all.
Tea, like so much else, originated in China about 5,000 years ago when, legend has it, the emperor Shen Nung decreed that all drinking water should be boiled for reasons of hygiene. One day some leaves fell into the boiling water, colouring and infusing it with scent. Out of curiosity, Shen Nung decided to drink it. And so the world's best-loved drink was born.
Tania Buckrell Pos, author of Tea and Taste: The Visual Language of Tea and the curator of an exhibition of the same name at the forthcoming Antiques for Everyone fair at the NEC in Birmingham on April 6-9, says that it was the arrival of the Portuguese in Asia in 1498 that introduced tea to the Western world. It took another two centuries before it arrived here. "It is believed that Catherine of Braganza, the future wife of King Charles II, introduced tea upon her arrival in 1662," she says.
Tea drinking spread from the court through the aristocracy to the rich, and the industry that grew to accommodate it has produced many highly collectible items.
teapots began to appear, for it was a
lso about this time that Chinese porcelain-making spread to the West, along with tea caddies, teaspoons, tea caddy spoons and sugar tongs. Collectors tend to go for either porcelain (teapots ), silver (tea-caddy spoons) or brown furniture (tea caddies).
Perhaps the most collectible of these areas is the tea caddy. Susan Shaw, of Period Pieces, which will also be exhibiting at the NEC, says: "A society lady would have her friends round and tea would be made in front of the fire. The kettle would be boiling over the flames and the butler would bring in the tea caddy for her to prepare the drink.
"Some of the greatest furniture makers of the day, such as Sheraton and Hepplewhite, began to manufacture tea caddies. Most tea caddies had locks well into the Victorian era because tea was such an expensive drink."
The heyday of tea -caddy making was between 1750 and 1830 before mass production took over and tea became the preserve of hoi polloi. This is reflected in the prices. A late-Victorian tea caddy costs about £ 50, but a handmade one from 100 years earlier can run into the thousands.
Originality of design is all. For example, some early tea caddies were made to resemble fruit and cost more than £ 10,000. But there are items for shallower pockets. A Chippendale design in oak or mahogany with a cavetto top costs between £ 400 and £ 500.
Tea, like so much else, originated in China about 5,000 years ago when, legend has it, the emperor Shen Nung decreed that all drinking water should be boiled for reasons of hygiene. One day some leaves fell into the boiling water, colouring and infusing it with scent. Out of curiosity, Shen Nung decided to drink it. And so the world's best-loved drink was born.
Tania Buckrell Pos, author of Tea and Taste: The Visual Language of Tea and the curator of an exhibition of the same name at the forthcoming Antiques for Everyone fair at the NEC in Birmingham on April 6-9, says that it was the arrival of the Portuguese in Asia in 1498 that introduced tea to the Western world. It took another two centuries before it arrived here. "It is believed that Catherine of Braganza, the future wife of King Charles II, introduced tea upon her arrival in 1662," she says.
Tea drinking spread from the court through the aristocracy to the rich, and the industry that grew to accommodate it has produced many highly collectible items.
teapots began to appear, for it was a
Perhaps the most collectible of these areas is the tea caddy. Susan Shaw, of Period Pieces, which will also be exhibiting at the NEC, says: "A society lady would have her friends round and tea would be made in front of the fire. The kettle would be boiling over the flames and the butler would bring in the tea caddy for her to prepare the drink.
"Some of the greatest furniture makers of the day, such as Sheraton and Hepplewhite, began to manufacture tea caddies. Most tea caddies had locks well into the Victorian era because tea was such an expensive drink."
The heyday of tea -caddy making was between 1750 and 1830 before mass production took over and tea became the preserve of hoi polloi. This is reflected in the prices. A late-Victorian tea caddy costs about £ 50, but a handmade one from 100 years earlier can run into the thousands.
Originality of design is all. For example, some early tea caddies were made to resemble fruit and cost more than £ 10,000. But there are items for shallower pockets. A Chippendale design in oak or mahogany with a cavetto top costs between £ 400 and £ 500.
Tags & Keywords : chinese clay pots pottery cups