A PAIR OF GEORGE II SILVER TEA CADDIES AND MATCHING SUGAR BOX

MARK OF THOMAS HEMING, LONDON, 1755

Details

Comprising a sugar box with hinged cover and pair of tea caddies with sliding covers, all three similarly chased and embossed wth Chinese figures picking tea with Chinese architectural features beyond, the ends each chased with a two story building, framed by rococo scrolls, lion's masks, and panels of diaperwork, the covers each with flower finial, marked on bases, the covers unmarked, the bases with scratch weights 10=0, 10=2 and 15=13
6 in. (15.2 cm.) high
35 oz. 3 dwt. (1,092 gr.)
Provenance

The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd H. Smith; Sotheby's, New York, 12 May 2000, lot 56.
Lot Essay

The popular Chinoiserie designs for these caddies was first created in silver in the 1740s by perhaps the most celebrated London silversmith of the 18th century, Paul de Lamerie. The chased Chinoiserie scenes were based on Mannerist engravings by Bernard Picart. An example by Lamerie was sold from the Bayreuth Collection, Christie's, London, 7 July 2023, lot 128. Examples, with slight variations, were produced by Phillips Garden and Thomas Heming in the 1750s and later in the 1760s by Emick Romer and Vonham. A set of three caddies also by Heming and also from 1755 were sold from the Bayreuth Collection in 2023, lot 188.