A Very Fine Tunbridge Ware Writing Box with Eridge Castle Mosaic c1880

Description

Heading : Tunbridge Ware – A Very Fine Writing Box with Eridge Castle Mosaic c1880
Date : c 1880
Period : Victorian
Origin : Tunbridge Wells
Decoration : Has a low pillow-top lid. bordered by an intricate rose and foliage Berlin wool-work frieze. edged with banded and continuous keyline stringing; within this border. and set within a golden satinwood reserve. is a very fine example of one of Henry Hollamby’s later representations of Eridge Castle; the four square sides of the box’s body have a continuous frieze of oak leaves and acorns. again within banded and continuous keyline stringing; internally we find the only flaw to this box. as there are rebates cut in to both short edges which would originally have held a horizontal divider in place giving two separate compartments – this is unfortunately missing; there is also a small. circular ink-stain to the base and – along with the fact that it would have had long. thin compartments – is why we are confident in describing this as a writing box of some sort.
Size : 24.0 cm long x 16.0 cm deep x 6.9 cm high
Condition : Excellent; very little tile-loss; there are some minute indentations to the top of the lid and a rather larger. very shallow bruise to the satinwood reserve which can be felt rather than seen; box is solid and robust with just the lost ‘divider’ as above
Restoration : None; professionally cleaned and polished
Weight :  495 grams