A Tunbridge Ware Perfume, Scent or Ink Bottle Casket With Floral Motif c 1850

Description

Heading : Tunbridge Ware Perfume. Scent or Ink Bottle Casket With Floral Motif c 1850
Date : c 1850
Period : Victorian
Origin : Tunbridge Wells attrib: Edmund Nye or Thomas Barton
Decoration : The casket has a curved and square-ended lid. with a five-square geometric band within two pairs of continuous keyline strings; this configuration is repeated on the four flat sides of the lid; around the four sides of the base section there is an eleven-square geometric band within two sets of two continuous and one banded keyline strings; to the curved lid. set within a less dark veneer panel. there is a floral Berlin wool-work motif; internally – three blue velvet-lined compartments. each with its own square glass bottle. each with a facet-cut lid that has ground stopper and neck. and polished pontils; has a working lock and key
Size : 14.5 cm long x 6.2 cm deep x 8.3 cm high
Condition : Excellent with regard to tile completeness and general formation; just some very minor bumps and bruises to edges and corners which are entirely commensurate with age and use; internally. very good – the velvet is complete and only slightly faded. and the three matching bottles are in very good condition; the only drawback is that the whole has a rather dark patina. as if an overall stain has been rather too lavishly applied. but the variations in the tile colours on the mosaic and geometric bands are still clear and distinct
Restoration : none other than professional cleaning and polishing
Weight :  558 grams

Notes: this has the exact same form as a later. labelled example marked ‘Thomas Barton late Nye’ which places it definitively later than 1862. However. that example has a far more accomplished Berlin wool-work frieze indicating that the technique had been refined since our piece was put together. It is known that Edmund Nye was one of the first exponents of this type of decoration from the mid 1840’s – and a date somewhere between the two seems entirely reasonable; an excellent and eminently usable example.

This casket is. however. somewhat contradictory. as the bottles seem to be a little plain for perfume. have no ‘dipping wands’ and there is the merest hint of some residual coloured content. but as a whole it seems rather extravagant to be intended for ink storage. with the velvet lining – we’ll leave a definitive purpose for the new owners to decide…