Antique Painted Sheet Metal Egg Caddy - 9½"

A refined late 18th-century egg service crafted in painted tinplate, finished with a soft black japanned ground and decorated with ocher foliate scrolls and an urn motif, neatly framed by fine gilt lines. Oval in form, the container features a split hinged lid topped with small knop finials, loop side handles, and rests on petite ball feet. It retains its original removable two-tier metal rack designed to hold eight eggs.

The central vessel was intended to sit in hot water for cooking, after which the eggs were transferred to the rack for service at the table, offering a rare glimpse into the practical elegance of late 18th- and early 19th-century French domestic rituals. The surface shows scattered scuffs, small paint losses, and light oxidation, all consistent with age and use.

This piece brings a sense of historic refinement to a kitchen or breakfast room, where its dark ground and gilt ornament read beautifully against stone, wood, and glass. Display it on open shelving alongside creamware and copper, or use it on a kitchen island for weekend brunch, presenting hard-boiled eggs with linen napkins. The removable rack also allows for inventive reuse as a holder for herbs, napkins, or utensils, adding a collected and quietly decorative note to both traditional and contemporary interiors.

Condition and patina consistent with age.
Approx. overall 9½" high x 10¼" wide x 4¾" deep
Approx. overall 24cm high x 26cm wide x 12cm deep