A Very Rare 18th Century Padouk Wood Rectangular Tea Caddy Of Rectangular Form, Having Original Brass Handle To Hinged Top Enclosing Divisions, Raised On Elegant Original Brass Claw And Ball Feet.Padouk is a wood indigenous to both the East and West Indies and imported to the UK in varying amounts at various times throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Hugely expensive due to the demand for it because of its highly decorative properties and rich colour there was not a large amount of furniture constructed using it, its use was often restricted to small, decorative bandings and inlays on items of furniture veneered in a different wood, or occasionally for tea caddies and decorative boxes similar to this.Tea was an extremely precious commodity throughout the 18th and 19th centuries and the purpose of a tea caddy was not just to preserve the and extend the life of the precious tea leaves, but also to enable the owner to lock away those aforementioned valuable tea leaves, keeping them safe from the house staffs potential wandering hands.This tea caddy comes with a fully functioning lock and key, plus has been cleaned and traditionally waxed polished by our highly skilled and well trained specialist antique furniture restorers in our workshops before being offered for sale.It also retains its original brass features and remains in good condition and has clearly been well loved throughout the years of its life.Circa 1770.Height 7in.Width 10.5in.Depth 6.5in.A Careful Selection Of High Quality Town And Country Furniture For The Home From The 17th, 18th, 19th And Early 20th Centuries.Members Of BADA, LAPADA & CINOA.UK Delivery Available At Reasonable Rates.Worldwide Shipping Arranged.