Tea Caddy
Ward, Bartholomew & Trott
c. 1802
Medium
Silver
Dimensions
15.9 × 4 × 14.6 cm (6 1/4 × 4 × 5 3/4 in.)
Classification
teaware
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
73105
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The style of this tea set (1950.1584 and 1950.1648a-c) was a popular one in New York at the turn of the 19th century. The shapes and decoration of the set were inspired by classical Roman designs unearthed at Herculaneum and Pompeii during the 1730s, and reinterpretation of the finds were disseminated in the popular furniture designs of Thomas Sheraton and George Hepplewhite. The bright-cut engraving is typical of the period. The Van Voorhis pieces employ a large drapery swag as a background to ...