Description:
TC109: A Finely Drawn Penwork tea  Caddy of Particular Interest Dated 1845 decorated inside and out with penwork depicting the cultural and social interchange of East and West.

The scenes inside and outside are well orchestrated. They are all interesting in that they have cultural references relating to the early 19^th century social interchange between East and West. 

This is much rarer than scenes of oriental life seen in isolation. Circa 1845

Origin: UK Circa: 1845  Materials: plain wood, patinated brass mounts

Size: It measures 9.3 inches wide  by  5.2 inches deep and it is  5.9 inches  high including feet: 23.8cm wide by cm 13.2deep by 15cm high.

Condition: good overall,  working lock and key,  see images.
As each person has different criteria and antiques by their very nature have wear,  please enlarge the images and ask for extra information as needed. 

There are further images of this caddy at:

http://hygra.com/uk/tc/tc109/ 

front: These figures appear to be Chinese. One is smoking a long pipe, a reference to the opium trade promoted by the British.

Detail of front. The scene is well composed with the figures both relaxed and involved in their activity. 

 

Side: On one side there are figures of indistinguishable nationality arriving on the shore. It is the boats and the traveling which are important here. Traveling was both a novelty and an adventure for Europeans. However it was noted by the early travelers, that in  the East, there was  lot of water traffic   both for trade and recreation.

The back: the figures playing with a bird are European. Only the little boy is definitely oriental. The seated figure is dressed entirely in European clothes.

European lady holding a bird cage. Interest in birds was strong both in the orient and in England. It is not surprising that it is one of the subjects on this caddy.

The boy  looks as if he has his Aladdin lamp on the ground.

Side: This is a mixed nationality scene. A European lady is shown the way by an oriental man and child. 

The Oriental man is showing the way in his flowing robe and pointed hat to a distinctly European portly lady.

 

The top depicts a peacock amongst stylized flowers drawn in the formal genre reminiscent of early embroidery.

The peacock in Chinese culture symbolizes beauty and dignity. The artist, or the person who commissioned   the caddy, would have been aware of the bird's significance. 

In the late 19th century the symbolism of the peacock was adopted by the Arts and Crafts movement.

The floral framing is formal, again consistent with early 19^th century work, some of the background ‘fill in’ reminiscent of embroidery stitching.

Long stemmed  pipe for opium smoking.

Birds were very significant in Oriental culture and interest in exotic species  increased throughout the 18th century as reports of fabulous creatures reached Europe.

The habit of keeping birds in aviaries and  cages was no longer the prerogative of the aristocracy, but also of the middle classes.  

Oriental man, in his flowing robe and pointed hat, showing the way to a European lady.

Distinctly European portly lady.

This is a view of the caddy open showing the rich decoration of the interior. The lids are decorated with stylized flora.

The figures on the inside are all oriental. The scene is pure chinoiserie.

The birds, plants and buildings are all drawn in this genre. However on the very Chinese pot, redolent of oriental symbolism, we find the date and the letters M and H. Presumably these are initials of the artist, or the person the caddy was given to. It was marked as a recognition of its special value to the owner.

A date of 1845 is drawn on the pot in the inner lid. This is quite late for this type of caddy, which is still very rooted in the Regency rather than the Victorian tradition.