Pair of Rare Queen Anne Britannia Silver Tea Caddies
Pair of rare round Queen Anne Britannia Standard silver lidded tea caddies, bottoms hallmarked with date mark for London 1702 and maker mark Isaak Dighton, and with "6-7-12" and "6-8-12", lid hallmarks rubbed. Often produced in rectangular form, this pair of round Queen Anne caddies are superb examples, finely crafted of Britannia Standard silver and with matching lids. The word 'caddy' is thought to derive from the Chinese 'carry', a weight equivalent to a pound and a quarter. Early examples often replicated the first porcelain blue and white lidded examples imported to Europe from China. As tea was rare and heavily taxed, early tea caddies were small and produced in precious materials to reflect the valuable contents within. Early examples were often made in matching pairs to hold green and black tea, and with lids which were used for measuring.
After the English Civil War the demand for silver household goods rose and wrought plate (unworked sterling silver) was in short supply. In 1697, the Britannia Standard for silver was introduced by an Act of Parliament to stop the use of British currency (sterling silver coins) being melted for use in household goods, hallmarked with the new Britannia Standard silver mark replacing the lion passant and the leopard head crowned. With a higher percentage of silver (95.833%) in comparison to sterling (92.5%), this higher standard meant that sterling silver coins could not easily be used as source material. Britannia Standard was compulsory for domestic silver until the 1st of June, 1720, when sterling was again approved for use. Most silversmiths reverted to sterling but Britannia has remained an optional standard since, and due to their rarity and quality Britannia Standard silver pieces are sought-after by collectors.
Size: 4 h x 2 ½ w x 2 ½ d in
C21006