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Tea chest

ca. 1760
Not on view
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).

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Tea chest
  • Date: ca. 1760
  • Culture: British
  • Medium: Mahogany, gilt brass
  • Dimensions: Overall: 6 × 11 1/2 × 6 1/2 in. (15.2 × 29.2 × 16.5 cm)
  • Classification: Woodwork-Furniture
  • Credit Line: Gift of Irwin Untermyer, 1964
  • Object Number: 64.101.1190
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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