George II Antique Silver Tea Caddy, London 1751.

Object Description

An exquisite example of chinoiserie silver. A fine period caddy box of bombe form with exquisite scenes of Chinese daily life embossed and chased to the sides. The sliding top is surmounted by a figural finial. Hand engraved to the front and reverse is a family coat of arms. The caddy is made of heavy gauge cast silver and the quality is exceptional.

Weight 488g, 31.1 troy oz.
Height 14.2cm, 5.6ins. Width 8cm.
London 1751.
Maker Eliza Godfrey.
Sterling silver.

Marks. Stamped underneath with a full set of English silver marks, the lid unmarked.

View our article on chinoiserie silver

Arms: The arms are those of Salter impaling Meade.

Maker: Elizabeth Godfrey

Eliza (c.1700-1771) didn’t have a formal apprenticeship, instead she must have learnt her trade as a child in the family’s London workshop belonging to her father Simon Pantin (1666-1733). Pantin was a leading Huguenot goldsmith with a prestigious clientele and examples of his fine work can be seen in major museums and collections worldwide.

Eliza’s marriage in 1721 to London goldsmith Abraham Buteaux (1698-1731) will have allowed her to continue her craft skills. Abraham was her father’s Huguenot nephew and godson, and was apprenticed to him in 1711, free in 1718. In 1721 Abraham entered 2 marks (Sterling and New Standard) and the married couple set up business in Green St, moving to Norris St in 1731. Just a few short months later Abraham died and Eliza, 3 months pregnant at the time, continued the business and entered her own widow’s mark as Elizabeth Buteux. The Buteux’s work bears similarity to that of Simon Pantin – mainly plain cups, other hollow-ware and salvers.

The following year in 1732 Eliza, 7 months pregnant with Abraham’s child, married Benjamin Godfrey (1699-1741), a London jeweller with a neighbouring shop in Norris Street. Benjamin, born to an affluent English family, continued both the jeweller’s shop and the silversmith’s premises in Norris St. Despite having no experience of silvermaking he entered marks at Goldsmiths Hall as largeworker, presumably for use by Eliza. 1st mark in 1732, 2nd and 3rd marks in 1739. The Godfreys’ work displays strong Huguenot influences in design and fine execution, their later works incorporating rococo designs. Just as one would expect from a family background such as Eliza’s.

When Benjamin died in 1741 Eliza entered her second widow’s mark as Elizabeth Godfrey. She remained active until at least 1766 and her work was known for its high quality and sophisticated style. Her trade card described herself as “Goldsmith, Silversmith and Jeweller to the Duke of Cumberland” and her success is evident by the considerable quality and quantity of her surviving work.

Eliza had 10 children of whom 5 reached adulthood. Of these, only Panton Betew (1723-1799) worked in the industry as a silver and art dealer

A significant number of strong and powerful female silversmiths achieved successful careers during the 18th century, a time when women enjoyed very few rights, especially in a male dominated industry. The Goldsmith’s Company records 63 women silversmiths working between 1697 and the Victorian era.

biography extracted from Sandra Robinson’s “Simon Pantin & His Children”

Free Shipping Worldwide

Object History

A similar example (also by Eliza Godfrey, London, 1751) engraved with the same armorial can be seen and noted on pages 180 and Plate CXVII of “Old Silver-Work Chiefly English from the 15th to the 18th Centuries”. A catalogue of the unique loan collection exhibited in 1902 at St. James Court, London, by J. Starkie Gardner, 1903. This publication notes them as having been lent by A. Wertheimer.

A pair of tea caddies (also by Eliza Godfrey, London, 1751) matching the description of this example (except for the finial) and engraved with the same arms (Salter impaling Meade) were sold by Christie’s in 1995. They were described as having been exhibited in Old Silver Work, chiefly English, from the XVth to the XVIIIth Centuries, 1902, S8, and as ‘the property of A. Wertheimer’: https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-286459

Object Literature

A Tea Caddy is a box, jar, canister, or other receptacle used to store tea. The word is believed to be derived from “catty”, the Chinese pound, equal to about a pound and a third avoirdupois. The earliest examples that came to Europe were Chinese tea canisters in blue and white porcelain with china lids or stoppers. Tea in the early 18th Century was expensive, and also there was a tax on tea, so early tea caddies were small and made in precious materials such as silver, shagreen or tortoiseshell which reflected the valuable contents within.

Some of the earliest silver examples have sliding bases (or tops) and the cap was used for measuring the tea. By the mid 18th century matching sets were available, with two caddies (for green and black tea) and a sugar bowl, all fitted into a wooden or shagreen case, often with silver mounts. During the late 1700’s the locking silver tea caddy was introduced with its own key which the lady of the house kept on the chatelaine around her waist. Double locking tea caddies in silver are rare.

Object Condition

This caddy is in very good condition. Crisp finish and sharp engravings. Fully functional.

Object Details