Tea was a precious commodity because of its high cost, and the very small size of early canisters reflected this when they were introduced during the final years of the seventeenth century. It is thought that the shape of the early silver tea canister imitated the shape of the Oriental stoppered jars of porcelain then being imported, because they looked rather like metal jars with a flat, rectangular base, and undecorated straight sides which curved in at the shoulders to a circular neck fitted with a slip-on, rounded cap. A late seventeenth century example might be only three inches high, but by Queen Anne’s reign they were generally taller.

More varied examples quickly followed, perhaps hexagonal or octagonal, sometimes triangular, occasionally decorated, reaching a height of about five inches and with an approximate capacity of four to six ounces.All were charming if quaint. In certain examples there might be a sliding section instead of a lift-off lid, but generally the version with a circular neck and rounded high cap — sometimes used to measure out the tea — continued to be made until well after the mid-eighteenth century.

Antique Collector MagazineCanisters were commonly made in sets of two or three for various kinds of tea: green, bohea or hyson. The records preserved by Twinings for the period list 18 different descriptions of tea, including Congoe with Pekoe, Bohea with Pekoe, Bloom Green, etc. The set of canisters would be kept in a fine wooden box, probably covered with shagreen, tortoiseshell,leather or mother-of-pearl and fitted with a lock so that the expensive tea leaves could not be pilfered by dishonest servants. Sometimes the third canister or container would be used for sugar, particularly later in the eighteenth century. Canisters were also made separately but it was not until the last few years of the eighteenth century that they became known as caddies, the word, it is thought, originating from kati, a Malay weight.

An Oriental vase-shaped canister appeared during the third decade of the eighteenth century, beautifully decorated with flowing scrolls, flowers and leaves in fine repoussé work. By approximately the 1750s the bombe outline, popular also on furniture at that time, became fashionable. This outline consisted of a swollen upper part rising in a gradual curve from a very low waist. Some canisters of this type stood upon cast feet, perhaps shaped as volutes or acanthus leaves, while others had a base rim. General ornament was typically rococo, with a finial on the lid cast as a shell, pineapple or Chinaman. Towards the end of the 1760s this ebullient rococo ornament bowed to the simple lines of its successor. Neo-classical canisters were entirely different for they were nearly twice the size of their original predecessors, and their classical beauty wasmarried in no way by the mass-production methods then coming into theirown.

The variety of Adam or neo-classical caddies was wide. During the last three decades or so of the eighteenth century, silversmiths excelled at these beautifully-proportioned containers. One of the most favoured shapes was a simple box caddy. These might be square, rectangular or hexagonal, and bright-cut, or perhaps simply engraved with neo-classical motifs. Their hinged lids, often with a lock, were topped by a decorative cast finial. The caddy based on the vase form was an elegant shape, embossed in low relief with classical ornament, with in-curving shoulders complemented by a decorative domed lid incorporated in the vase outline. Diversity of design was typical of the Regency years during the following century, and particularly popular was revived rococo with embossed chinoiseries. An oval shape was also much favoured both during the last two or three decades of the eighteenth century and the nineteenth century.

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Tea canisters or caddies