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Tea Caddy
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
In the 1600s and 1700s, silver played a significant role in projecting wealth, status, power, and ritual in British life. Tea was likewise a highly valued commodity, and as such, silver caddies like this one were designed to display the social distinction of its owner. This canister’s prominently sloping shoulders were designed by Paul Jacques de Lamerie in the early 1730s and became a standard form for tea caddies by the end of the decade.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineTea Caddy, 1741–1742. Paul Jacques de Lamerie (British, 1688–1751). Silver gilt; overall: 13.4 x 9.6 x 5.8 cm (5 1/4 x 3 3/4 x 2 5/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Thomas S. Grasselli Memorial Collection, 1943.179
