This object is a type of tea caddy known as a ‘tea tub’ and was made to imitate the wooden packing crates in which tea was shipped from China to Europe. The form appeared in the early 1760s and became extremely fashionable. Made from cut and rolled sheet silver, they were cheaper to produce than the vase-shaped canisters that were also made at this time. Many surviving examples such as this one are marked for the retail firm of Parker and Wakelin, and are engraved with Chinese characters such as chang and yi, meaning ‘prosperity’ and ‘righteousness’, auspicious terms used in Chinese business.
