Tea chest

Unknown

ca. 1760 · Mahogany, gilt brass · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

The English satirist Jonathan Swift (1667–1745) wrote in his Directions to Servants (1729) about "small chests and trunks with lock and key, wherein they keep the tea and sugar." Executed in a late Rococo style, this example, with its serpentine sides, scroll feet, and crisp carving on front and sides, displays some similarities to designs in the first and third editions of Thomas Chippendale’s Gentleman and Cabinetmaker’s Director (1754, 1762).

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1760

Medium

Mahogany, gilt brass

Culture

British

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of Irwin Untermyer, 1964