Tunbridge Ware Puzzle Box Including Tangram Pieces with Geometric Mosaic c 1840

Description

Heading : Tunbridge Ware – Puzzle Box Including Tangram Pieces with Geometric Mosaic c 1840
Date : c 1840
Period : Victorian
Origin : Tunbridge Wells. Kent or possibly Brighton – see below
Decoration : Geometric mosaic to the top face of the lift-off lid only; includes the original seven (plain) tangram pieces in the base
Size : 5 .0 x 5.0 x 1.7 cm
Condition : Excellent; all tiles intact; very slight wear to the edges of the lid
Restoration : none
Weight :  17 grams

Note: The use of larger tiles to make up the design on this box – rather than the tiny micro-mosaic pieces used for wool-work or topgraphic images – suggests that the piece may tend to be earlier rather than later. hence our estimated date. This is not to say – of course – that such a design could not have been replicated by late 19th century manufacturers. so this cannot be considered definitive in the absence of other evidence. The general form of the box. and the application of lining paper to the base. however. are consistent with an earlier date.