tea caddy

Melbourne Pottery

Summary

Public: Rectangular tea caddy with arched shoulder and narrow cylindrical neck. Made of cream coloured earthenware and transfer-printed in overglaze in black on one side with a medallion containing a figure of Minerva and on the other with a wood pigeon feeding a fledgling. Private: Rectangular tea caddy with stepped foot, arched shoulder and narrow cylindrical neck. Transfer-printed in overglaze black on one side, with medallion containing figure of Minerva with three children, lyre and caduceus at her feet, drapery in the background revealing gazebo, and scroll below inscribed 'LET WISDOM UNITE US.'. Medallion encircled with husk chain suspended from ribbon bow, and flanked by Rococo scrollwork from which hangs dead game, a deer and bird on either side. Opposite side printed with wood pigeon perched on broken bar of a fence feeding fledgling, third bird in tree to right, fourth in the sky overhead. Painted black enamel border to shoulder of undulating budding stem intertwined with plain narrow band. Pale cream coloured earthenware body, with slightly speckled yellowish glaze. Cover missing.