Coffee and Tea Service

1960s

Coffee and Tea Service, 1960s. Cartier (French, Paris, est. 1847). Silver, ebonized wood; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift 2020.202 © Cartier Historic jewelry houses such as Cartier often leveraged their expertise with precious materials to create luxurious objects for everyday living. Consisting of a teapot, coffeepot, creamer, sugar bowl, waste bowl, and large tray, this set is exceptional for drawing upon Scandinavian design, influential in both Europe and the US during the 1950s and the ’60s. The unadorned surface accentuates the fluid form of each vessel, while the dramatic curvature of the handles and the striking contrast between brilliant silver and darkened wood add a sense of dynamism. The British tradition of afternoon tea began in 1840 when Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford, requested tea and snacks to satiate the pangs of hunger felt between the notoriously light luncheon and late-evening dinner.