Circa 1870
Height: 6 ins / 15.24 cm
Width: 10.5 ins / 26.67 cm
Depth: 6 ins / 15.24 cm
Price: £825

An Austro Hungarian Imperial military tea caddy, ebonised and set with brass framed panels of varied marbles, mounted with military trophies, the base set with a brass medallion, stamped: K.K. PRIV. FRID. STROBE. WIEN. The inner lids are later replacements, and the copper mounts were possibly silvered originally.

Kaiserlich-Koniglich, (Imperial Royal) was the abbreviation applied to institutions of the twin monarchies of Austria-Hungary, and K.K. was used by the common army until 1889. It may be deduced that this tea chest pertained to an army mess or headquarters on the Friedrichstrasse in Vienna.