A small George II period bombé tea caddy, after designs by Thomas Chippendale

England, circa 1750.

Why we love it

Incredibly rare in this distinctive bombé form, great colour and superb quality, 18th century ormolu mounts with original fire-gilding.

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 rather restrained Rococo style, these caddies display some similarities to designs in the first edition of Thomas Chippendale’s Gentleman and Cabinetmaker’s Director (1754).

Influenced by the avant-garde French fashion and introduced by Thomas Chippendale, the bombé shape was only used for top quality furniture due to the complex process of its production.