Tea, introduced into Europe in the late 17th century, was a valuable commodity. It was kept securely in elegant boxes with secure locks. At that time, these were usually known as 'tea chests', although they are now generally referred to as 'tea caddies'. Such boxes often contained two or more compartments for different types of tea, or for sugar, stored in small metal containers known as 'tea canisters'.
Designs with Chinese motifs, reflecting the source of the tea, were particularly popular. As real Asian lacquer was exceptionally expensive, many more wares were made in Europe and painted with translucent varnishes to imitate lacquer. In 1730 the Martin brothers of Paris were granted a monopoly on their particular recipe for such varnishes and the term <i>vernis Martin</i> or ‘Martin’s varnish’ is now the common term in France for any decoration of this type, whether or not made to their recipes. In England such techniques are generally known as ‘japanning’.