A Very Good Quality And Attractive Late 18th Century George III Period Satinwood Tea Caddy, With Extremely Unusual And Elegant Butterfly Inlaid Decoration To Hinged Top, Enclosing Storage Cavity And Further Conch Shell Inlaid Decoration To Front. Tea was a 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 any potential wandering hands.This tea caddy comes with a fully functioning lock and key, plus has been cleaned and traditionally wax polished by our highly skilled and well trained specialist antique furniture restorers in our workshops before being offered for sale.It is constructed from good quality satinwood timbers and boasts very attractive and unusual inlaid decoration which we have rarely seen before. Dating towards the end of the 18th century, t...