Heading : Tunbridge Ware - A Pin-Hinged Trinket Box with Floral Mosaic
Date : c1855
Period : Victorian
Origin : Tunbridge Wells; England
Decoration : A small floral mosaic set within an unusual curved border and an equally unusual tesserated reserve; in turn, this sits within standard continuous and banded keyline stringing, which then - again - bounds a five-square geometric band; a small turned handle is affixed to the lid; pin-hinged fitting and additional internal ledges for additional support; the four side faces of the box are plain with pale rosewood veneers; internally lined with original lining paper and to the base in textured blue paper - both internal and external liners are somewhat worn and stained
Size : 16.8 x 10.4 x 5.0 cm
Condition : fair to good; in addition to the wear to the lining papers as above, there are a number of small missing tesserae to the lid; unfortunately, the gaps have become filled with a light-coloured polish, which has just served to highlight the losses
Restoration : none
Weight :  172 grams

Notes : The somewhat worn appearance of the box is a shame, as the curved border and tiled reserve are features which would be of note to the collector; the fact that this was made by Edmund Nye is determined by the use of the internal lining paper, which we have recorded as having been used on other, labelled examples of his work. Of course, such a resource may have been shared amongst more than one manufacturer, but given that the form of the box, the geometric border and the turned handle are also common with other Nye pieces, it adds up to a persuasive case...