Limited Edition Tea caddy nasturtium with butterflies

Tea was a rare and precious indulgence reserved exclusively for the higher echelons of society when the Meissen manufactory was established. The first tea leaves found their way to the Russian Tsar's court via Mongolia in 1618. The European aristocracy quickly succumbed to the magic of this fine beverage. What was now needed was a receptacle appropriate to the commodity's preciousness. This gave rise to the desire to create magnificent tea services that met the high standards required in terms of both their design and their craftsmanship. The newly established porcelain manufactory began producing the first tea sets, which quickly became coveted objects at Europe's aristocratic courts. The classic Meissen flower painting adorning this set will be familiar to connoisseurs of Meissen porcelain. It has been capturing the spirit of nature in the most delicate and detailed manner for more than 300 years now. The caddy 's circumferential decoration comprises an alternating arrangement in six panels of fully and less fully detailed images of nasturtiums in two magnificent colours. The unusual combination of materials is particularly ingenious: a box in finest white porcelain and lid in rugged earthy Böttger stoneware create an attractive sense of contrast that imparts a very distinctive look to the caddy.