Heading : Tunbridge Ware - A Round Topped And
Square Ended Glove Box
Date : c1860
Period : Victorian
Origin : Tunbridge Wells, England - Henry Hollamby
Decoration : Round top with a central golden
satinwood panel containing a mosaic of Battle Abbey Cloisters; this is bounded
by walnut veneer to both ends, and surrounded by banded and continuous keyline
stringing; to the perimeter of the lid there is a seven-square geometric
border; the four edges of the box have a broad, detailed Berlin wool-work flora
frieze of roses, primroses and lobed leaves, with the usual banded and
continuous borders; base lined with red paper; rosewood edge veneers;
internally, there is a green/blue satin lining (very likely original), lacking
any sort of lid mounted 'tool band' which would identify this as a sewing box
if present.
Size : 26.7 cm long x 10.2 cm deep x 9.9 cm high
Condition : Very good; there are a couple of shallow
gouges and grain cracks to the walnut veneers, and some very fine separations
within the abbey mosaic, but very few tile losses other than a short piece of
banded keyline stringing which has come off one bottom side corner; closes well
with a working lock and key; a few superficial bumps and bruises entirely
commensurate with age
Restoration : replacement key has been provided
Weight : 462 grams
Notes
: This is
something of a 'rosetta stone' for Tunbridge Ware, as in addition to the
details above it also has - internally - a printed label detailing 'THE
CLOISTERS Battle Abbey, Sussex'. The nature of the geometric border around the
top of the lid exactly matches that used on a jewellery cabinet which we
have seen and which has been positively identified by experts in the Tunbridge
Wells Museum as being the work of Henry Hollamby. Similarly the wool-work
frieze has also been identified as Hollamby's. It has always been known that
Hollamby made topographic mosaics of numerous buildings which he then sold on
to other manufacturers to incorporate in their own boxes; this box now
enables us to say with certainty that boxes of Hollamby's own making, featuring
his mosaics, had such identifying labels. We have also taking the liberty
of using the museum's date for the cabinet on this piece, given the commonality
of the border to the two pieces.
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Code: 22072213