Chinoiserie Tea Caddy

Tea's origins in the Far East account for so many caddies being decorated in the chinoiserie style. What makes this work so exceptional is the disposition of the colorfully painted figures within the champlevé cavities over the expansive gilt surfaces. On the lid's sliding cover, an enthroned figure, perhaps an empress, is receiving a princess. The accessories in this scene are limited to a Persian carpet and to the curtains which have been drawn aside to reveal a large screen of Russian malachite on which is carved an exotic Chinese phoenix. Similar birds in sumptuous colors are set in the corners of the lid.

On the front and back of the caddy, figures carry shrines while on the ends a boy assists a man with his opium pipe and a servant girl attends a woman. The sources for these vignettes have not been determined.

Inscription

Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.

Acquired by Jean M. Riddell, Washington, D.C.; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 2010.