The decoration and painting on this caddy and others of its type was the province of artisan artists such as the father of the painter Barker of Bath (1769-1847), who worked for the japanners of Pontypool. The marbled effect on the present caddy was produced by passing smoke from a candle-flame over the surface of the caddy, then varnished for permanence.

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE:
Yvonne Jones, Georgian & Victorian Japanned Wares of the West Midlands, catalogue of the permanent collection and a temporary exhibition. Wolverhampton Art Gallery & Museums, 23rd October-27th November, 1982. Pages 33-44, comparative examples illustrated plates 270, 272 and 331.