Stock No: 15836

A William IV walnut and rosewood pedestal teapoy of exceptional quality. The gadrooned walnut top is beaded with rosewood and is mounted on a solid rosewood acanthus column, which stands on a beautifully carved quatreform lion paw foot base. The interior features a red velvet interior with a tooled leather lid. Interestingly, this interior was likely fitted around 20 years after this teapoy was made. This is probably due to the fact that the cost of tea dropped considerably in the mid-19th century.
English, c.1830.

Notes: The potential for tea drinking had increased enormously in the first half of the 19th century, Britain's population had doubled within 50 years and people were wealthier, mostly due to the jobs created as a result of the industrial revolution, and the rapidly expanding trade between other countries. In 1833 the British government removed the East India's monopoly to import tea. Importantly, this opened up the possibility of importing tea from India, which they did in 1839. This lowered the cost of tea, and with it, the necessity to keep it under lock and key in such high status objects. High quality teapoys such as this, were then repurposed as work boxes, or for more general storage.