{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O21027"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O21027/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AJ5277/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AJ5277/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006AJ5277","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AV9632","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AV9631","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AN9425","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2018KW7734","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O21027/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O21027","accessionNumber":"C.729-1923","objectType":"Tea canister","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"<b>Object Type</b><br>Tea canisters, now often known as caddies, were containers for storing tea leaves. During the 18th century tea was made in front of family and guests in well-off households, rather than in the kitchen. Like other tea utensils, canisters are therefore often highly decorative. Initially an expensive luxury confined to the wealthy, tea became more widely drunk as prices fell during the 18th century. The gradual fall in price was reflected in the increasing size of these containers over the course of the century.<br><br><b>Techniques</b><br>Items of tin-glazed earthenware, such as this tea canister, were fired for the first time before their glaze and decoration were applied. The wares emerged from this 'biscuit' firing in a hard and slightly porous state. The pots were then dipped in glaze and set on boards to dry. The raw glaze was delicate and liable to come off, and once dry had a powdery and highly absorbent surface. Painting of considerable refinement could be carried out on this surface, as is demonstrated by the ships that appear on this caddie. However, the absorbent nature of the unfired glaze meant that mistakes could not be erased. Once the decoration was complete the wares were fired for a second time.","physicalDescription":"Three panels with ships enclosed by rococo borders of scrolls, flowers and diaper ornament.  The mouth has a band of foliate decoration and the underside has the inscription M/ 1751.  All the decoration is in blue.\nBody colour: Buff.\nGlaze: Bluish white.  Foot-rim wiped clean of glaze.  A small area of glaze on the underside near the rim has been ground down.\nShape: Underside is slightly concave.  (Alphabetic shape codes as used in appendix to Archer. <font -u>Delftware</font>. 1997)","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Unknown","id":"A1848"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[],"techniques":[{"text":"glazed","id":"AAT53914"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Tin-glazed earthenware, painted in underglaze blue","categories":[{"text":"Delftware","id":"THES48969"},{"text":"Ceramics","id":"THES48982"},{"text":"Tea, Coffee & Chocolate wares","id":"THES48886"},{"text":"Drinking","id":"THES48965"},{"text":"British Galleries","id":"THES48985"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"CER","id":"THES48594"},"images":["2006AJ5277","2006AV9632","2006AV9631","2006AN9425","2018KW7734"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"52B (VA)","id":"THES49255"},"free":"","case":"CA2","shelf":"","box":"35"}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Tea caddy","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":"probably"}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1751","earliest":"1751-01-01","latest":"1751-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"9.2","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"7.9","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"Height: Ht. 9 cms (3 1/2 ins).()\r\nDiameter:   D. 8.1 cms (3 3/16 ins)\r\nDimensions checked: Registered Description; 01/01/1998 by KN","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"Inscribed on underside M/ 1751.","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"Back","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Back"},{"content":"M/ 1751","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""}],"objectHistory":"Mr F. Bennett - Goldney. Puttick and Simpson. 4:3:1920.  Lot. 45. Purchased from Mr L. Gautier, London, 1923.\r\nProbably made in London","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Ships, rococo scrolls, a letter and a date","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Archer, Michael. <font -u>Delftware: the tin-glazed earthenware of the British Isles. A catalogue of the collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum</font>. London: HMSO, in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1997. ISBN 0 11 290499 8"}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"sailing ships","id":"AAT125446"},{"text":"scroll","id":"AAT10094"},{"text":"flower","id":"AAT132399"},{"text":"diaper","id":"AAT10144"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"British Galleries:\nThe use of delftware, a relatively cheap type of pottery, for a canister reflects the falling cost and widening market for tea in mid-18th century Britain. It was not until the import duties were radically reduced in 1784 that larger canisters became common.","date":{"text":"27/03/2003","earliest":"2003-03-27","latest":"2003-03-27"}}],"partNumbers":["C.729-1923"],"accessionNumberNum":"729","accessionNumberPrefix":"C","accessionYear":1923,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"<u>Delftware</u> (1997) cat. no.","id":"THES50964"},"number":"H12."}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":["2019LR2364","2019LP4835","2019LV5692"],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-20","recordCreationDate":"2000-01-29","availableToBook":false}}