A near-pair of Chinese export famille-verte 'chicken' tea caddies, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period
清康熙 五彩瑞雞圖茶蓋罐一對

Each square-section body decorated with pairs of cockerels facing off amongst rockery and blossoms, each topped with a cover painted with an iron-red flowerhead

(Quantity:4)

Dimensions: 8.5 - 8.9cm high

Santos Collection

來源：

桑托斯收藏

Illustrated in Santos, A. Varela, '100 Years of Chinese Export Porcelain', 2014/2015, cat. 35

It is not known if tea canisters are a Chinese or a European form. Most certainly they evolved from a Chinese model adapted to the European table and drinking habits. Containers that we can identify as tea canisters are known since the late 17th century. They became bigger (like the case in teapots and teacups) as the 18th century progressed, thanks to tea becoming more affordable, resulting from the better-known sea route, better and faster ships and the larger and richer middle classes.

The rooster is an old "yang" symbol and represents the sun. In the morning when the sun rises the rooster crows, beating away evil and darkness.

茶罐究竟是源自中國還是歐洲，目前尚無定論。但可以肯定的是，它們是由中國茶罐演變而來，並根據歐洲人的餐桌和飲茶習慣進行了調整。我們今天所知的茶罐，最早可以追溯到17世紀末。隨著18世紀的推進，茶葉價格逐漸下降，茶罐的體積也隨之增加（如同茶壺和茶杯一樣）。這得歸功於更便捷的海上航線、更先進更快速的船隻以及更龐大更富裕的中產階級。

雄雞作為「陽」的象徵，與太陽（旭日）緊密相連。晨鳴之舉在傳統神話中象徵著光明的驅散與黑暗的終結。