Upright oval copper tea caddy showing a pleasing aged patina, with repoussé work all round and also on the removeable lid.
The sides are decorated with four galleons, three of which are under full sail, the fourth with most of the sails furled.
At the end opposite to the seam, between two of the galleons, is a surfacing dolphin or porpoise blowing a spout of water high into the air.
The choppy sea and the clouds are depicted in repoussé while the background sky shows a lightly hammered texture.
A pair of shells mirror each other each side of the lid's handle and both the interior of the caddy and the underside of the lid are lined with tin.
Both parts are marked Newlyn and the caddy measures just a fraction below 15 cm wide at its widest point by approximately 12.5 cm high when the handle is folded down.