The Story and British Tea Chests and Caddies: Social History and Decorative Techniques
The Story and British Tea Chests and Caddies: Social History and Decorative Techniques
$75.00
Introduced to Britain in the 1650s, tea's popularity burgeoned over the following two-and-a-half centuries, until it became a defining feature of British culture.
Drawing inspiration from China, fine British craftsmen applied their skills to tea-related objects, ritualizing the process of tea drinking while imbuing it with luxury status. Employing fine materials and artful techniques, expert makers developed a beautiful canisters and lockable containers for storing and preserving this precious commodity, elevating tea chests and caddies from functional items to coveted status symbols. While originating as the essential accoutrement for fashionable women, caddies were eventually created in larger numbers and more affordable forms as the habit of tea drinking filtered into the larger social stratosphere.
Beginning as an enthusiastic collector, author Anne Stevens has become the leading authority on this fascinating subject. A retired volunteer from Oxford's Ashmolean Museum, Stevens employed a large number of experts in their fields for detailed chapters on Tunbridge Ware, Japanned Wood, Silver and many more artisan specialties. Showcasing decorative antique tea containers alongside detailed historical research on their making and place in British society across the centuries, The Story of British Tea Chests and Caddies explores the materials, techniques, historical art and original designs that illustrate tea's integration into British society. With over 850 illustrations of tea chests, caddies, canisters and other tea-related items, this impressive compendium traces the exponential growth of tea's popularity from the mid-17th century to the 1900s.
A lovely tome for tea lovers, historians, and decorative arts aficionados alike, this thoroughly researched and beautifully illustrated volume offers a visually stunning yet in-depth study of the relevance of tea, tea chests and caddies to British society.
Hardcover. 432 pages. 12.25"D x 9.75"W x 1.75"H.
