Tea caddy or tobacco box
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
early 18th century
This rectangular brass container was made in the Netherlands in the early 18th century by an unknown maker, intended for use either as a tobacco box or a tea caddy. While its shape resembles that of a typical tea caddy, its engraved iconography directly relates to smoking. The object measures 15.5 cm in height, 10 cm in width, and 7 cm in depth, and its original interior liner is recorded as missing.
The container is decorated with pierced and engraved metalwork. The sides feature openwork floral scrolls, vases of flowers, and human figures, including a man and a woman. Inscribed below the depiction of a pipe-smoking man is the Dutch phrase "'t hollander/ken" ("the Dutchman"), while the side showing the woman is inscribed "en syn / vroú" ("and his wife"). The cylindrical lid is engraved with a coronet and the monogram "DF".
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
A tea caddy is a closed container for dry tea used in a tea service. The term derives from the Malay word 'kati', a unit of measure used exclusively for tea that equalled about 600 grams—the standard weight of an 18th-century packet of tea.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Brass, pierced and engraved
- Dimensions
- Height: 15.5 cm; Width: 10 cm; Depth: 7 cm
Technical characteristics
- Inscriptions
- Date: Text: Research required; Latest: Research required; Earliest: Research required; Note: Research required; Type: Inscription; decoration; Medium: Research required; Method: Research required; Script: Research required; Content: On the body of the caddy: Dutch, engraved on the side below the image of a man smoking a pipe: ' 't hollander/ken' ('the Dutchman'). Dutch, engraved on the side below the image of a woman: ' en syn / vroú ' ('and his wife').; Language: Research required; Position: Research required; Inscriber: Name: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Association: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Description: Research required; Translation: Research required; Interpretation: Research required; Transliteration: Research required Date: Text: Research required; Latest: Research required; Earliest: Research required; Note: Research required; Type: Research required; Medium: Research required; Method: Research required; Script: Research required; Content: The lid engraved with a coronet and the monogram DF.; Language: Research required; Position: Research required; Inscriber: Name: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Association: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Description: Research required; Translation: Research required; Interpretation: Research required; Transliteration: Research required
- Maker recorded
- Unknown
- Place recorded
- Netherlands
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- Tea caddy or tobacco box
- Museum object number
- 591-1883
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.