An Anglo-Indian ivory inlaid rosewood tea caddy Vizagapatam, circa 1770

the moulded top with a swan neck handle enclosing three cannisters with sliding lids, each sides ornamented with a spray of flowers 

Condition is good. Tarnished metal handle, key escutcheon and hinges, as to be expected. Wear to the ink in some of the engraved inlay and some minor age cracks, with old separations to mitred corners. The timber is a pleasing colour with some ingrained dirt to edges. The top has a border of foliate engraved ivory, the front band of this has an old repair and has been fixed in place to prevent further lifting, this pin is now lacking. The interior is good and the colour of the timber shows its original appearance. One of the sliding lids to an interior box with chipped losses of ivory to each corner at the front. Generally a good example of its type and in good order.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This beautifully inlaid tea caddy is a fine example of work produced by craftsmen in Vizagapatam, a coastal area to the north of the great port of Madras. Many of the objects and furniture produced here were in the European taste and in fact the present tea caddy is very closely based on English forms of the period. These pieces were highly prized and considered to be of the finest quality. A caddy of similar form to the present example but containing two cut-glass silver mounted cannisters forms part of the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and is illustrated in Amin Jaffer, Furniture from British India and Ceylon, a Catalogue of the Collections in the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Peabody Essex Museum, 2001, pl.49, p.205. Examples of furniture in a similar style are illustrated  in Amin Jaffer, op. cit, pp.182-203. For a further related tea caddy see Sotheby`s London, Fine English Furniture, 26th September 1997.