posted 09-15-2015 09:28 PM            

My wife collects tea caddies and above is one tea caddy made with rolled paper. These tea caddies were popular in the last decade of the 1700s and even Jane Austen in her book Sense and Sensibility refers to the making of rolled paper baskets. As I understand, the boxes were brought already made and women of that time period would decorate these boxes with various designs made from rolled paper and other materials.

This is the only one that my wife has that has glass over the decorations. As a result the interior design does not seem to have aged and the golden stripes shine brightly as if new. My question is what were these “golden stripes” made of. Some of the rolled paper appears to be gilded, but some of the other decoration appears to be simply gold wire. Any thoughts you have would be appreciated.

posted 09-15-2015 09:32 PM            

Above is a picture of the inside lid and it is really just like many other wooden tea caddies as it is not decorated with rolled paper.

posted 09-16-2015 10:18 AM            

... filigree looking paper work... = Filigree Paperwork = Paper Filigree = Quilling

From Wikipedia about Quilling

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Quilling or paper filigree is an art form that involves the use of strips of paper that are rolled, shaped, and glued together to create decorative designs. The paper is rolled, looped, curled, twisted and otherwise manipulated to create shapes which make up designs to decorate greetings cards, pictures, boxes, eggs, and to make models, jewelry, mobiles etc. These items can all be used as thoughtfully designed gifts which many people would highly appreciate. Quilling starts with rolling a strip of paper into a coil and then pinching the coil into shapes that can be glued together. There are advanced techniques and different sized paper that are used to create 3D miniatures, abstract art, and quilled flowers among many things.

During the Renaissance, French and Italian nuns and monks used quilling to decorate book covers and religious items. The paper most commonly used was strips of paper trimmed from the gilded edges of books. These gilded paper strips were then rolled to create the quilled shapes. Quilling often imitated the original ironwork of the day.

In the 18th century, quilling became popular in Europe where gentle ladies of quality ("ladies of leisure") practiced the art. It was one of the few things ladies could do that was thought not too taxing for their minds or gentle dispositions. Quilling also spread to the Americas and there are a few examples from Colonial times.

Many quilled art works can be found on cabinets and stands, cribbage boards, ladies' purses, a wide range of both pictures and frames, work baskets, tea caddies, coats of arms and wine coasters. Storage boxes, larger than most jewelry boxes with drawers and/or tops that opened, quilled lock boxes, and much more. Some items were specially designed for quilling with recessed surfaces. Quilling was also combined or married with other techniques such as embroidery and painting.

Today, quilling is seeing a resurgence in popularity with quillers (people who practice the art of quilling) on every continent and in every walk of life. No longer confined to the "upper classes", this is a peoples art form and the beauty of the art is always expanding thanks to innovators and rapidly growing number of quillers. Quilling is great for all ages thanks to the simplicity of the techniques and how relaxing it is. The craft has become increasingly popular due to the low cost of the material. It is used to decorate wedding invitations, for Christmas, birth announcements, greeting cards, scrapbook pages, and boxes. Quilling can be found in art galleries in Europe and in the United States and is an art that is practiced around the world. One of the most well-known quilling artists in modern times is Russian artist, Yulia Brodskaya.

Quilling is relatively easy to learn compared to most other crafts, and with the resources available today, it can be learned by almost everyone. Basic quilling techniques can be learned almost anywhere and there are several videos online that can teach you how to start quilling. There are more exotic styles of quilling that aren't commonly taught, but can be learned through books that teach the specific style you are looking for. Quilling is also a great craft for kids as it teaches them fine motor skills and is a great craft to train their hand-eye coordination.

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posted 09-16-2015 11:53 AM            

Here are a couple of pictures that show a little more detail. Some of the rolled paper appears to be gilded and the long strips most likely are also just gilded rather that solid gold wires.

Below I added some pictures of another tea caddy, almost the same shape, but without glass covering the paper. There is gilding on parts of the box, but the background decoration appears to be mica. The rolled paper is darker perhaps since it was not covered with glass.

posted 09-19-2015 11:43 AM            

Oh, wait--here it is:

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[<gone from the internet> deborahlutz.tumblr.com/post/110656130002/charlotte-brontë-practiced-a-number-of-victorian]
Victorian Reliquary

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posted 09-20-2015 05:55 PM            

Art

posted 09-25-2015 10:33 AM            

ahwt: I had always thought that he brought most of his silver from England, but...