Tea Caddy

This tea caddy, in the shape of a classical sarcophagus, is made of European pine, lined with Australian cedar, and veneered with kauri.

Historian and furniture restorer William Cottrell suggests in Furniture of the New Zealand Colonial Era that it may be 'the oldest identifiably New Zealand-made item of furniture yet found,' and dates it to between 1825 and 1835.

Further Reading

Cottrell, William. 2006. Furniture of the New Zealand Colonial Era, An Illustrated History 1830-1900. Auckland: Reed.