A ten sided tortoiseshell strung ivory  tea caddy with a pyramid top  having a silver ball finial,   a silver escutcheon, and silver plaque on the front encircled with pique point. Circa 1790.

See: 18th and 19th Century Boxes, Style Materials and Methods © 1999 Antigone Clarke and Joseph O'Kelly

Working lock and key.

It measures  4.3 inches wide  by  2.8 inches deep and it is  5 inches  high including feet: 11 cm wide by 7 cm deep by 13cm high.

The single hinge is finely engraved and silvered. The silver pins holding it may have been put in a bit after the caddy was first made to consolidate it. Other than this the caddy seems to have avoided the need for any major restoration. 

 The inside still retains much of its original leading. 

 The underside is covered in embossed leather.

 There are a few hairline cracks in the ivory. This is usual. The ivory is fixed to the wooden structure using white gesso.