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Lot Essay
The ornamentation of architectural scenes surrounded by floral and foliate borders together with its standard dimensions suggest that such caddies were 'stock' items. A tea caddy of identical shape and related decoration, now in the Victoria and Albert Museum (no. C740 & B-1936) - the sides of the pitched lid likewise engraved with a border of vines - was made in the mid-1790s and presented by Emperor Qianlong to William H. Mackintosh, Captain of the Hindostan, on which Lord Macartney travelled to his embassy at the Chinese Court from 1792 to 1794 (Amin Jaffer, Furniture from British India and Ceylon, London, 2001, p.205, fig.49).
Many of these caddies contain custom-made British silver canisters which allow for accurate dating. Three other caddies of the same form contain hallmarked silver canisters: the first with a maker's mark of 'I.P.' dated London 1782; the second of George Brasier, 1789, and the third of Watson of the Strand dated 1805 (ibid., p. 205). A related example was sold Christie's, London, 1 July 2004, lot 21 (£5,975 including premium).
Many of these caddies contain custom-made British silver canisters which allow for accurate dating. Three other caddies of the same form contain hallmarked silver canisters: the first with a maker's mark of 'I.P.' dated London 1782; the second of George Brasier, 1789, and the third of Watson of the Strand dated 1805 (ibid., p. 205). A related example was sold Christie's, London, 1 July 2004, lot 21 (£5,975 including premium).