Art Resource - ART201395

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Box with porcelain tea caddies, Qing dynasty, c1755-c1800. The pewter box and flat cover are made in the shape of a prunus (plum) blossom. A five-lobed porcelain tea caddy and five fan-shaped ones are neatly fitted inside. The covers are inscribed in gold with the names of different types of teas, four black and two green. In eighteenth-century Europe black (fermented) teas were far more popular than green varieties. Although the tea trade was very important to European merchants in China, this is the only known box of its type. The pewter container kept the porcelain tea caddies safe during transport and also helped keep the tea leaves dry and aromatic. Found in China. OA, F.1688.

Location British Museum/London/Great Britain

Unique Identifier ART201395

Type Image

Purpose Public

Size 4887px × 3572px

Photo Credit Erich Lessing / Art Resource, NY

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