Heading : Tunbridge Ware - A Sewing Box with Eridge Castle Topographic Mosaic
Date : c1860
Period : Victorian
Origin : Tunbridge Wells; England
Decoration : top of the lid features one of Henry Hollamby's Eridge Castle mosaics set in to a golden satinwood reserver and with a multi-coloured key-line string border; there is a somewhat stylised 20mm floral frieze around the edges of the lid's top face with a pair of banded and continuous key-lines; the front face of the body - and that of the lid - have an eight-square geometric border of a triangular pattern, set within the same two pairs of key-lines; internally, the lid is lined with original pale-blue satin; there is a lift-out tray which would have originally had twenty separate compartments, but five of the dividers are missing; two compartments have side-ledges fitted on which there would have been a lift-out lid - these too are missing; there is a shaped 'thimble rest' affixed inside one of them; the large central well, below the tray, is empty, and both this and the tray have white textured lining paper and silver paint to the vertical sides of the compartments; the whole tray is bounded with a canted piano-banded edging; to the base, textured black lining paper; working lock and key which have a flush, circular stick-ware escutcheon. 
Size : 25.7 x 10.3 x 18.0 cm
Condition : Very good; little or no damage other than the missing dividers as above; the base is split - but stable - right across its width; there are a number of bumps and bruises, and some surface scratches - which are entirely commensurate with age
Restoration : looks as if there has been a small replacement sliver of veneer fitted to one corner of the lid at some point, but this may well be of some considerable age
Weight :  997 grams

 

Notes : this is one of Henry Hollamby's standard mosaics, as identified by Howard Rockley in his book Topographical Tunbridge Ware; however, it's known that Hollamby supplied other manufacturers with his images so that they could be applied to their own work. This box can be attributed to Thomas Waterman as the make-up of the inset tray is identical to another example (listed here) which we have sold of the same provenance, and which is identified by association with an image in Brian Austen's authoritative Tunbridge Ware and Related European Decorative Woodwares - page 160

 

 

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Code:      22062006