After Paul De Lamerie. An exceptional, and very rare, pair of early George III Chinoiserie Tea Caddies made in London in 1761 by Thomas Pitts I.
After Paul De Lamerie. An exceptional, and very rare, pair of early George III Chinoiserie Tea Caddies made in London in 1761 by Thomas Pitts I.
375670
These rare early George III Tea caddies are of large size and of upright rectangular form embossed and chased in high relief. The front and back display a Chinese male figure, picking leaves from a tea plant and placing them in a wicker basket, on the left side and on the right an obelisk with foliage at the base. The scene is surrounded by "C" scrolls, Rococo shells, scale work panels and floral sprays. The top displays a dragon in flight, issuing from the scrolls, its tail wrapped around another scroll. The other two sides also with two large ‘C’ scrolls enclosing a building and a large coconut tree, all on a matted ground and with flowers, leaves, shells and scrolls all around. The hinged covers with cast rose and leaf finial, surrounded by scrolls and floral and foliate sprays. The Caddies are in most exceptional condition and are fully marked on the base and with the Sterling mark, and maker's mark on the cover. The Caddies are in quite exceptional condition, with hardly any wear, the decoration maintaining its crispness.
This caddies bear close resemblance to those made by Paul de Lamerie. A pair made by De Lamerie in 1751/52 are in Jerome & Rita Gans Collection, now in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. These are shown in the image stream and they are illustrated on page 40 of the collection catalogue. They are of the same form and show the tea pickers on the side.
Thomas Pitts I was an exceptional silversmith who was free in 1744, having been apprenticed to David Willaume, therefore being trained in the Huguenot tradition. During the 1760's he specialised in the production of Epergnes from his workshops at 20, Air Street, Piccadilly and was supplying the major establishment of Parker and Wakelin from 1766. (Parker and Wakelin Workman's Ledgers, Victoria & Albert Museum).
Height to the top of the finial: 5.75 inches, 14.38 cm.
Width: 4 inches, 10 cm.
Depth: 3 inches, 7.5 cm.
Weight: 29oz, the pair.
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![](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://www.marycooke.co.uk/british-silver-1760-1830/after-paul-de-lamerie-an-exceptional-and-very-rare-pair-of-early-george-iii-chinoiserie-tea-caddies-made-in-london-in-1761-by-thomas-pitts-i&media=https://seek-unique-co.s3.amazonaws.com/marycooke-8876-Qfhef-OE67/stock/69f72d04ead95_image_url_rk70a.jpg&description=These rare early George III Tea caddies are of large size and of upright rectangular form embossed and chased in high relief. The front and back display a Chinese male figure, picking leaves from a tea plant and placing them in a wicker basket, on the left side and on the right an obelisk with foliage at the base. The scene is surrounded by "C" scrolls, Rococo shells, scale work panels and floral sprays. The top displays a dragon in flight, issuing from the scrolls, its tail wrapped around another scroll. The other two sides also with two large ‘C’ scrolls enclosing a building and a large coconut tree, all on a matted ground and with flowers, leaves, shells and scrolls all around. The hinged covers with cast rose and leaf finial, surrounded by scrolls and floral and foliate sprays. The Caddies are in most exceptional condition and are fully marked on the base and with the Sterling mark, and maker's mark on the cover. The Caddies are in quite exceptional condition, with hardly any wear, the decoration maintaining its crispness.This caddies bear close resemblance to those made by Paul de Lamerie. A pair made by De Lamerie in 1751/52 are in Jerome & Rita Gans Collection, now in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. These are shown in the image stream and they are illustrated on page 40 of the collection catalogue. They are of the same form and show the tea pickers on the side. Thomas Pitts I was an exceptional silversmith who was free in 1744, having been apprenticed to David Willaume, therefore being trained in the Huguenot tradition. During the 1760's he specialised in the production of Epergnes from his workshops at 20, Air Street, Piccadilly and was supplying the major establishment of Parker and Wakelin from 1766. (Parker and Wakelin Workman's Ledgers, Victoria & Albert Museum).Height to the top of the finial: 5.75 inches, 14.38 cm.Width: 4 inches, 10 cm.Depth: 3 inches, 7.5 cm.Weight: 29oz, the pair. ){kind=link}