English Regency Rosewood Tea Caddy With Fitted Interior, Circa 1820

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A handsome English Regency rosewood tea caddy dating to circa 1820, distinguished by beautifully figured rosewood, a restrained architectural form, … Read more A handsome English Regency rosewood tea caddy dating to circa 1820, distinguished by beautifully figured rosewood, a restrained architectural form, and an unusually well-preserved fitted interior.

The caddy features a shaped lid with a raised central panel bordered by carved detailing and accented with a small mother-of-pearl plaque. The richly figured rosewood case rests on four turned bun feet and retains its shield-form key escutcheon and period brass hardware.

Opening the caddy reveals an exceptionally interesting fitted interior with two removable rosewood tea canisters, each retaining its fitted lid and remnants of its original metal lining. Between the canisters is the original fitted center compartment intended for a glass mixing bowl. Although the glass bowl is no longer present, the caddy remarkably retains its original wooden bowl support and leather-covered circular surround, providing a wonderful glimpse into early 19th-century cabinetmaking and tea service.

The underside of the lid retains its beautifully aged crimson patterned textile lining, with a central medallion and decorative border still visible despite more than two centuries of natural fading and wear.

The rosewood has been carefully French polished by hand, enhancing the extraordinary grain and depth of the timber while preserving the character expected of a piece of this age. The original interior components, aged textile, metal-lined canisters and fitted bowl support have been intentionally retained.

A beautiful and increasingly difficult-to-find example of Regency tea culture, equally appealing as a decorative object, collector’s piece, or sophisticated addition to a library, bar, or tabletop collection.

England, circa 1820.

Dimensions: 12” W × 6” D × 7” H. See less