A Tunbridge Ware Ring Box with Isometric Cubes Mosaic c1880

Description

Heading : Tunbridge Ware Ring Box with Isometric Cubes mosaic c1880
Date : c1880
Period : Victoria
Origin : Tonbridge. England – made by Thomas Burrows
Decoration : panel of miniature isometric cubes set within key-line stringing. including an unusual and rather fetching multicoloured. banded element; three and five-square geometric borders around all four sides of both body and the lift-off lid; red velvet lined ring-storage compartments. same lining to the lid
Size :  Height 3.1 cm. length 8.8 cm. depth 4.3 cm
Condition : Excellent; all tesserae in place; a few superficial bumps and bruises commensurate with age and use; some pitting to the lacquer (worn in places) which has filled with polish over the years. resulting in scattered. pinprick-sized light specks; a couple of the internal dividers – although fixed in place – do wobble a bit
Restoration : None
Weight : 43 grams

Notes : We have seen two near-identical boxes – of the same construction. with slightly different mosaic bands. one with red and one with a blue velvet interior; the red one was labelled for Thomas Burrows from the period in which he was working in Tonbridge (1877-1883); this attribution and dating can be confidently made.