Antique Chinese Export Black Gilt Lacquer Tea Caddy Regency Period c 1820

This antique Chinese Export tea caddy dates to the first half of the 19th century, circa 1820–1840. Made in China during the Qing dynasty for export to the Western market, most likely Britain, it has a shaped black lacquer case decorated in gilt and retains its fitted interior with two engraved metal tea canisters.

Tea remained a valuable commodity during the early 19th century, and tea caddies served both as practical storage containers and as decorative objects in affluent Western households. Chinese workshops produced lacquer tea caddies, sewing boxes, games boxes and other wares specifically for export during the European fashion for chinoiserie.

The caddy has concave sides, four columnar corners and a stepped lid divided into shaped panels around a raised central section. Nearly every exterior surface is decorated.

The black lacquer ground features gilt scenes, with touches of red, of Chinese figures in gardens and on terraces, with pavilions, trees and vegetation. Other panels depict birds, flowers and naturalistic motifs, bordered by feather-like, floral, foliate, geometric and scrolling designs.

The gold-on-black decoration is associated with the Chinese tradition known as miaojin, meaning painted-gold lacquer. It is visually related to the Japanese maki-e technique and was used to create detailed pictorial and ornamental designs on lacquer surfaces.

The hinged lid opens to reveal a fitted interior containing two rectangular engraved metal tea canisters, probably made of pewter, zinc or another tin-based alloy. Each canister is decorated with floral and geometric engraving and retains its removable circular lid. Beneath each lid is a small pale knobbed cover providing access to the tea compartment.

The underside of the main lid is decorated with a pair of gilt sprays against the black lacquer ground. The brass hinges and front lock fitting remain in place, although no key is present.

An old paper label on the underside reads:

C. R. Fenton & Co. Ltd.
Beachy Road
Old Ford, E3 2NX

The label also bears the name Frank Kay Ltd. and the handwritten number 32.

C. R. Fenton was an English company associated with packing and shipping antiques overseas. The firm was mentioned in a 1985 New York Times article concerning the purchase of antiques in Britain and their subsequent shipment abroad. The label therefore relates to the caddy’s later British provenance rather than its manufacture.

Frank Kay Ltd. was a British real estate firm. Its presence on the label may indicate that the caddy passed through an estate or property dispersal, although the precise circumstances are unknown.

Condition

The caddy is very well preserved for its age. There is slight wear to portions of the gilt decoration, along with minor surface wear consistent with approximately two centuries of age.

The fitted metal canisters have some denting to their sides, typical of the soft and malleable metal used in their construction.

The underside has three small dot-like areas of lacquer loss near each of the four corners. Their symmetrical placement suggests that the caddy may originally have stood on four paw-form feet that were later removed. Many comparable Chinese Export lacquer tea caddies were fitted with decorative paw feet.

No key is included.

Please examine all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the condition description.

Measurements

Width: 8 5/8 inches
Depth: 6 3/4 inches
Height: approximately 4 inches

A well-preserved example of early 19th-century Chinese Export lacquerware, retaining its fitted double interior, engraved metal canisters and extensive gilt decoration.