An unusual late 18th/early 19th century, possibly American Colonial inlaid mahogany tea caddy, the hinged lid enclosing a leather lined interior. The face inlaid with naive whimsical black and white male busts and fanned spandrels over two small, beaded drawers. The contrasting figures appear almost alien in their sparse antennae like strands of hair, on either side of a central inlaid fan of contrasting woods. The case itself rests on small circular bone ball feet and is further enhanced with additional light and dark string inlayed corners and a wave of lighter inlay beneath the two drawers on its face. Purchased from the estate of a collector who lived in the United States and England, whose collection was a blend of both cultural aesthetics and origins.
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