Rare Antique Chinese Export red lacquer melon-form tea caddy with six loebed sides, three gilt dragon paw feet, gilt decoration of figures in gardens on body and hinged lid with carved “stem,” opening to a similarly shaped tin liner. Circa 1825. Height, 5.5”; Diameter, 6.25” Gourds and mellons had a particular significance in Chinese culture.

See: ”Antique Boxes”by Clark and O’Kelly, figure #238 and our #620 for a similar example.

Rare English Regency Hawksbill and Greenback Tortoiseshell Tea Caddy with ivory and pewter stringing, having cut corners and a bowed front panel with pressed tortoise in concentric ovals with fan corners and central inlaid silver oval with leafage border; the bowed lid surmounted by a ball finial and the whole raised on ball feet. Circa 1800-15. (Key). Height, 6”; Length, 8”; Depth, 4.75.”

#573 English octagonal ivory tea caddy with fluted ivory panels with tortoise shell stringing and banding, having a pyramidal lid with silver finial opening to a lidded compartment. Circa 1790. Height, 5”; Length, 4.25”; Depth, 3.25.”

**Regarding the Sale of Items Incorporating Materials from Endangered Species: An export license issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be required for the export of this pre-CITES item from the U.S. Studio Antiques will not ship this item outside of the USA without proper paperwork, which is the buyer's responsibility.

French Boulle Style Tea Caddy, rectangular with cut-corners and slightly domed lid with all sides and two interior lids extensively inlaid with engraved brass and red and black colored lacquer simulating tortoise-shell in the 17th century manner. Circa 1850.

Provenance: The Cockrell Collection. (Key). (See our #555 for a related example with blue lacquer ground.) See Clark & O’Kelly, p. 109-10 for related boxes. Height, 4.5”; Length, 8.75”; Depth, 4.5.”

#530 Antique Anglo-Indian Tea Chest, sandalwood overlaid with strips of elk horn. The box is rectangular with sloped sides. The elk horn on the top of the stepped, sloping lid arranged in a starburst pattern. The fitted interior is decorated with incised ivory panels, highlighted with lac, a similarly decorated pair of removable caddies and a circular cut crystal sugar bowl and a horn caddy spoon. (The squashed ball feet are later replacements. Lid lack support). Valtair, Vizagapatam, possibly by Chinniah, ca. 1840-50. See: Furniture from British India and Ceylon by Amin Jaffer, #61 for a similar workbox. Exhibited: The 48th Washington Antiques Show, “Inside and Outside the Box.” Height, 9”; Width, 14.75”; Depth, 8.5”.