Tea Tables

As discussed in a prior blog post, drinking tea in Europe and America, lead to the creation of many new objects to support this new fashion. The impact of tea taking on furniture design can be seen in the creation of the tea table. This term was used loosely in the 18th century to describe any small table designed for a household. A tea table could be rectangular or round, plain or with intricate carving on the top and knees and legs of the table. Portability was an important consideration, with tilt-top tables prized for their ability to be set against a wall and pulled out for taking tea when needed. Mahogany was the preferred wood for tea tables, as the shine of the expensive wood showed off not only the taste and wealth of the owner, but also the tea paraphernalia, especially tea sets of silver. Lacquer tables too gained popularity among the richest in England, with over 6,000 imported by the East India Company in 1700 alone.

Tilt Top table, Mahogany,American, Philadelphia 1765

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York

Tea table in situ Metropolitan Museum of Art

Table, Mahogany, with replacement stretchers and legs. English 1740-1760

The table top is thought to have been saved from another tea table and new stretchers and legs made to create a new table.

Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England

Tea table, Federick Hintz, England, 1737-38, Mahogany with inlaid brass and mother of pearl

Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England

This table is in the V & A British Galleries and is striking when seen in person. The unusual leg design is thought to be inspired by Dutch examples.

Snuff Boxes

A snuff box is a small decorated box used for carrying powdered, scented tobacco known as snuff). Snuff was sniffed or inhaled and the taking of snuff became fashionable in 17th-century England and the habit quickly spread to other countries around the globe. Snuff boxes varied in sizes, from those small enough to fit in a waistcoat, to larger table boxes. The snuff box became an object for decoration by goldsmiths, enamelers and painters of miniatures. Typically the lid received the most decorative attention and nature designs were common decorative touches. The very wealthy added jewels or coats of arms to their boxes. Snuff boxes were popular as gifts for special occasions and the materials used for snuffboxes included silver, gold, brass, wood, porcelain, horn, and tortoise shell. An example of a special designed snuff box for the table is the mull, or silver mounted rams head/horn. Long after snuff taking became unpopular, snuff boxes continued to be made for gifting. Very collectible, all sizes of these boxes appear frequently at auctions and in antique stores, providing a broad market for collectors, with boxes to suit all price points.

George IV Silver-Gilt Snuff Box and William IV Silver Snuff Box. (1829 and 1830)

Christies New York 20 May 2015 Russian Works of Art, Important Silver and Objects of Vertu, Sale 3730 Lot 302

Famile Rose Porcelain Suff Box, Qianlong Period (1735-96)

Showing an image of a Dutch couple on the lid underside

Christies New York 18 January 2017 Chinese Export Art Sale 12597 Lot 371

Snuff Box (England date unknown) Wood with brass piqué.

Shoes are associated with love and marriage and shoe or boot forms were given as symbols of good luck

Victoria and Albert Museum, London, United Kingdom

Snuff Mull (Scotland) Pewter and Horn (1840s)

Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England

Pratt Ware, 1780-1840

Pratt Ware is a term used to describe English and Scottish relief decorated, underglaze colored earthenware pieces. The production of these pieces date from 1780-1840 and they were produced in a great variety of forms, from plaques to teapots, to figures and watch stands. The pieces are recognizable by their simple molding, cream or pearlware ground and the application of bright colors. Many pieces are stamped with the potters name or logo, but just as many are not marked. The term Pratt Ware is one that has been around for over one hundred years and is based on the surviving production in this style by the Pratt family of potters working in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent. Yet there is much evidence that there were other potters producing similar wares at around the same time. Irrespective of the accuracy of the term, what cannot be denied is the naïve charm of these pieces and their place in the history of English ceramic production.

Teapot, 1790-1800. Lead-glazed earthenware painted in high temperature underglaze colors and moulded. Impressed: BARKER. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England.

Seated figure of a woman (one of a pair), 1800-1830. Lead-glazed earthenware painted in high temperature underglaze colors. Unmarked. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England.

Jug and cover in the form of a cow, ca. 1820, possibly Newcastle, England. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England

Jug, Britannia and on reverse Sailor's Return. 1790-1800. Maker: William Pratt. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England