Tunbridge Ware Sewing Basket with Swing Handle c1855

Description

Heading : Tunbridge ware sewing basket with swing handle
Date : c1865
Period : Victoria
Origin : Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Decoration : The rim with geometric stickwaree design, the base of the basket with cubework, stickware joins for the handle, geometric mosaic on the handle. Silk lining
Size : 28.2cm diameter, 22cm height (handle up)
Condition : Excellent, light wear to the silk as expected, otherwsie remarkable state of preservation, nearly all examples have severely frayed silk or missing handles.
Restoration : None
Weight :  449 grams

This is work of Thomas Barton when he was a designer for Edmund Nye. The combination of stickware, cubework, and mosaic makes this a truly genre defining piece of Tunbridge ware. This is the finest example we have seen.