From elaborate boxes on stands to miniature sideboards, tea caddies are an exciting collecting field, but provenance is key for keen collectors. Feature Tallulah Rushaya.
While the history of tea drinking stretches far back to China’s Tang dynasty (618–906 AD), British high society properly took up this pastime with gusto in the 17th century. This is partly thanks to King Charles II’s Portuguese wife, Catherine of Braganza, who was already an avid tea drinker when she came to Britain in 1662 and helped to make the drink fashionable.
By the mid 18th century, with imports from the East India Company, the widespread prominence of tea meant that its price rocketed. As a result, tea became heavily taxed, which led to a growing black market for the precious leaves, and a subsequent demand for smart storage solutions…