“If you are cold, tea will warm you;
if you are too heated, it will cool you;
If you are depressed, it will cheer you;
If you are excited, it will calm you.”

~ William Ewart Gladstone (U.K. Prime Minister, 1868 - 1894)

By 1766 over six million pounds of tea were coming to England from Canton, China alone. Over the next century tea from all over Asia became a daily staple of every table, from the lowliest cottage, to the most genteel and affluent drawing room.

Like every custom, tea developed its own accoutrements. Recently found at market in England, this Antique English Rosewood and Mahogany Tea Caddy would have been the must-have of any accomplished hostess. Lifting the hinged lid reveals a fitted interior with a pair of lidded tea compartments and sugar bowl. Featuring a lock and key and original decorative handles, this tea caddy would have been carried into company and carefully unlocked to reveal the fragrant and precious tea and sugar within.

With a sarcophagus shape characteristic of the Regency period, this magnificent piece of practical social history would make a delightful addition to any carefully curated room.

Strictly one-of-a-kind and subject to prior sale. In very good antique condition with signs of age and use to the interior of the compartments as seen in the alternate images. 8"H x 13"W x 6.25"l.