Scottish Tea Caddies

Acorn Design From our Tea Caddy collection, we are pleased to offer this Scottish Mauchline Ware Tea Caddy attributed to Smiths. The Mauchline Ware Tea Caddy of rectangular form ma...

Scottish Mauchline Ware From our Tea Caddy collection, we are delighted to offer this rare Mauchline Ware Tea Caddy. The Tea Caddy of rectangular form extensively decorated with a repeating pinstripe pattern throughout the entire exterior of the Tea Caddy upon a Sycamore carcass. The decoration features a striped effect with alternating classical scrollwork, linked chain and pin striped vertical line transfers in shades of gold, green and red. A shield-shaped escutcheon finishes the exterior of the Caddy. When opened the Tea Caddy reveals a single Caddy compartment with traces of the original foil lining and the Caddy the original full length wooden Cumnock Hinge. The Tea Caddy dates to the late Georgian Period during the reign of George IV Circa 1830. The Tea Caddy is a rare example of early Mauchline Ware especially because of the Type of decoration used and extremely good condition, a superb addition to any collection. We firmly attribute the Tea Caddy to renowned Scottish Mauchline Ware makers Smiths from the extremely close similarities between this Caddy and a previous one in our archives signed by Smiths. The Tea Caddy comes complete with working lock and tasselled key. Mauchline Ware was the production of Scottish white-wood products, it was mainly manufactured from the 1820s until 1939. The production of souvenir woodware for the tourist market began in the 1790s with the snuff box industry in Ayrshire. By 1820, Mauchline ware was well established, supplying souvenirs from wood grown ‘on the Field of Bannockburn’, ‘on the Abbey Craig’, ‘on the slopes of Stirling Castle’ and made into sewing requisites, egg cups, trinket boxes and many other kinds of souvenirs, transfer printed with a line drawing of the place. The firm Smith’s who regarded as the the leading and most renowned manufacturer of Mauchline War among a few lesser known and shorter lived companies. They ranged from the basic transfer as on small vases to boxes and smaller household accessories...