George III Silver Chinoiserie Tea Caddy made in London in 1763 by John Langford & John Sebille

An extremely rare and important George III Silver Chinoiserie Tea Caddy made in London in 1763 by John Langford & John Sebille.

The Tea Caddy stands on four scroll bracket feet decorated with foliate capping. The main body is rectangular in form, with bombe sides, each of the corners displaying unusual scroll and shell openwork sections. The sides are embossed and chased with three unusual Chinoiserie panels surrounded by raised scrolls, cording and shell details.

The first side shows a Chinese lady in traditional dress, holding a bell, the second a Chinaman playing a flute, also in traditional dress, and the third depicts a seated Chinaman holding an exotic bird on his arm. The fourth, and final panel, very unusually depicts a Western Lady in fine dress, holding a Chinese vase.

All of these scenes are of figurative designs which we had not previously seen. The domed, pull off, cover has a gadrooned rim and is divided into four sections with corner linear loops. The cover is chased with shells and scrolls and terminates in a cast double flower head finial. The caddy is fully marked on the base and with the sterling mark on the cover.

The maker's mark has jumped on the base, however most is visible and it is a very distinctive cruciform maker's mark which is shown in "London Goldsmith's 1697-1837, Mark 3656. The decoration is very crisp, the condition excellent and it has a very good colour. The work of John Langford & John Sebille is scarce, however it is of the finest quality in terms of production and design. It is thought that John Sebille was of Huguenot descent, which would account for the fine pieces which bear his mark.

Height: 6 inches.
Length: 4 inches
Width: 3.45 inches.
Weight: 16 oz.

Price

This object is eligible for a Certificate of BADA Provenance

Stock number