Hexagonal Georgian Single Compartment Tea Caddy with Inlaid Parquetry c1785

Description

Heading : Hexagonal Georgian Single Compartment Tea Caddy with Inlaid Parquetry
Date : c1785
Period : George III
Origin : England
Decoration : Inlaid oval ‘bat-wing’ or ‘fan’ panels to four faces. framed with broad kingwood stringing; turned natural bone handles to both the outside of the lid and the internal cover of the well; small hexagonal escutcheon made from the same material 
Size :  16.4 x 9.2 x 13.0 cm
Condition : Good; one or two very thin gaps to the stringing and a few minor bumps and bruises to the body; two small gouges to the veneer on the same (front) panel. A little leteral play in the hinge
Restoration : Fairly recent application of green baize to the base
Weight : 274 grams 

Note : the ‘three dimensional’ shading to the individual pieces of the parquetry was done by scorching the wood to darken it in parts – a common technique. used by Tunbridge Ware craftsmen. but by no means exclusively