CHAPTER 6: TUNBRIDGE WARE

Figure 6.3: Tunbridge ware caddy, c. 1790, by Joseph Knight. Harewood veneer on pine carcass; inlaid decoration; brass drop-loop handle; single silvered hinge; underside of lid lined with off-white paper bearing trade label; single compartment. Height 8.6 cm (3 3/8 in); width 15 cm (5 7/8 in); depth 8.6 cm (3 3/8 in). Private collection 

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Figure 6.4: Tunbridge ware chest, c. 1800, by John Robinson. Harewood veneer with boxwood borders on pine carcass; decorated on lid and sides with classical medallions on red ground with subjects based on ‘The Nuptials of Cupid and Psyche’ engraved by F. Bartolozzi; Old Sheffield plate loop handle; silvered hinges; base covered with green baize; underside of lid also decorated with prints; interior containing two wooden tea canisters decorated with prints and central etched glass sugar bowl; compartments and well lined with pink paper; paper label on underside of one canister lid reads ‘FROM Robinson’s MANUFACTORY No 53 Piccadilly and TUNBRIDGE WELLS’. Height 15 cm (5 7/8 in); width 30.5 cm (12 in); depth 15 cm (5 7/8 in). Private collection 

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Figure 6.7a: Tunbridge ware whitewood caddy, dated 1817. Solid sycamore carcass; painted decoration of rustic landscapes on sides and lid; lid also painted with borders of oak leaves and acorns; brass ball feet; silvered hinges; base covered with green baize; underside of lid painted with personalised cartouche framed with flowers, leaves and musical horns, with inscription ‘A Sisters Gift/Maria Surplice/Draycott/1817’; interior with two compartments with painted lids bearing turned bone knobs. Height 14.5 cm (5 5/8 in); width 19.1 cm (7 ½ in). (The late collection of Robert Harman Cannell) Private collection 

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Figure 6.8: Tunbridge ware whitewood caddy, c. 1815. Sycamore veneer on pine carcass; painted with harvesting scene on lid, and with band of oak leaves and acorns on sides; distinctive painted chocolate brown borders with black sprigged decoration throughout; brass lion-mask ring handles on ends; brass ball feet; silvered hinges; base covered with green baize; underside of lid with painted cartouche with initials ‘J E’; interior with two compartments with painted lids bearing ebonised knobs. Height 12.7 cm (5 in); width 19 cm (7 ½ in); depth 11.5 cm (4 ½ in). Private collection 

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Figure 6.9: Tunbridge ware ‘cottage’ caddy, c. 1805. Sycamore carcass (not veneered) painted to resemble a thatched cottage; central chimney provides knob to lift lid; silvered hinges; underside of lid lined with red paper; interior with two compartments with lids painted with black and white patterned borders and turned bone knobs. Height 18 cm (7 in); width 19.5 cm (7 ¾ in); depth 11.5 cm (4 ½ in). Mark Goodger Antiques, Northamptonshire  

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Figure 6.10: Tunbridge ware ‘cottage’ caddy, c. 1820. Sycamore carcass (not veneered) painted to resemble a thatched cottage; central chimney provides knob to lift lid; brass hinges; underside of lid lined with green paper; interior with single compartment with lid bearing turned bone knob. Height 16.5 cm (6 ½ in); width 12.1 cm (4 ¾ in); depth 10.2 cm (4 in). Private collection 

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Figure 6.12: Tunbridge ware penwork caddy, c. 1820, from M. Sangwine, London. Whitewood carcass (not veneered) with penwork borders and decoration of rural scenes executed in pen-and-ink on lid and sides; silvered hinges; base covered with green baize; underside of lid with similar penwork decoration; interior with two compartments with whitewood lids with penwork borders and turned ivory knobs; undersides of these lids each bears label of ‘M. SANGWINE, 38 STRAND, LONDON’. Height 11.8 cm (4 5/8 in); width 19.1 cm (7 ½ in); depth 11.2 cm (4 3/8 in). Private collection 

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Figure 6.13: Tunbridge ware penwork caddy, c. 1820, probably by George Wise of Tonbridge. Whitewood carcass (not veneered); penwork decoration of rural scenes; brass ball feet; base covered with black Morocco paper; silvered hinges; underside of lid lined with paper decorated with red abstract pattern; interior with two compartments, unusually with large single lid with black vermiculated decoration and turned bone knob. Height 11 cm (4 3/8 in); width 16.8 cm (6 5/8 in); depth 9.5 cm (3 ¾ in). Tunbridge Wells Museum & Art Gallery

Figure 6.14: Tunbridge ware caddy, c. 1800. Decorated all-over with perspective cube work on pine carcass; brass drop-loop handle; single interior compartment. Height 10.8 cm (4 ¼ in); width 12.1 cm (4 ¾ in); depth 10.8 cm (4 ¼ in). (The late collection of Robert Harman Cannell) Private collection 

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Figure 6.15: Tunbridge ware caddy, c. 1820, by William Upton, Brighton. Rosewood veneer on pine carcass; lid decorated with perspective cube work; narrow borders of diamond pattern; silvered hinges; base covered with blue sugar paper; underside of lid lined with red Morocco paper; interior with two compartments with rosewood-veneered lids bearing turned bone knobs; billhead of William Upton ‘NEAR THE THEATRE, NEW ROAD, BRIGHTON’ glued to base. Height 12.1 cm (4 3/4 in); width 19.7 cm (7 ¾ in); depth 12.4 cm (4 7/8 in). Private collection  

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Figure 6.16: Tunbridge ware caddy, c. 1810. Yew wood veneer on pine carcass; lid and sides with panels of diamond parquetry decoration; chevron borders on front and top; silvered hinges; base covered with green baize; underside of lid lined with later black velvet; interior with two compartments with yew-veneered lids with parquetry decoration and turned wooden knobs. Height 12.7 cm (5 in); width 21 cm (8 ¼ in); depth 12.1 cm (4 ¾ in). Private collection 

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Figure 6.17: Tunbridge ware chest, c.1830. All-over parquetry decoration with miniature vandyke borders on pine carcass; ivory escutcheon; original green baize on base; two interior compartments with wooden canisters with mahogany lids; between the canisters a double-sided lift-out panel with 36 wood samples, the top fitted with a bone knob. Height 15 cm (6 in); width 28 cm (11 in); depth 16 cm (6 ¼ in). Private collection 

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Figure 6.18:  Tunbridge ware chest, c. 1830. Perspective cube work and vandyke pattern on lid, and bolder vandyke work on sides. (No further information known.) Private collection 

Figure 6.19: Tunbridge ware chest, c. 1835, probably by James or Humphrey Burrows. Burr maple veneer on pine carcass; lid with panel of perspective cube work with inset tessellated mosaic butterfly, and wide borders of miniature parquetry; all sides decorated with vandyke pattern with narrow miniature parquetry borders; lock stamped ‘T. CARMAN’; base covered with blue sugar paper; interior, including underside of lid, veneered in burr maple with miniature parquetry borders; two compartments containing similarly decorated canisters, and central velvet-lined well with moulded glass sugar bowl. Height 14.9 cm (5 7/8 in); width 30.2 cm (11 7/8 in); depth 15.2 cm (6 in). Private collection 

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Figure 6.20: Tunbridge ware chest, c. 1845-50, attributed to Edmund Nye. Extensive use of tessellated mosaic in abstract and foliate patterns on pine carcass; rosewood bun feet; underside of lid similarly decorated to exterior; interior containing two wooden canisters, also with tessellated decoration, and well with glass sugar bowl. Height 22 cm (8.7 cm); width 38 cm (15 in); depth 22 cm (8.6 in). Amherst Antiques, Edenbridge 

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Figure 6.21: Tunbridge ware caddy, c. 1850. Rosewood veneer on pine carcass; lid with tessellated mosaic in holly surround, showing a boy in a kilt (possibly Edward, Prince of Wales) holding a parrot in one hand and a dog in the other, based on a Berlin woolwork design; single interior compartment. Height 10.5 cm (4 1/8 in); width 13 cm (5 1/8 in); depth 11 cm (4 3/8 in). Amherst Antiques, Edenbridge 

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Figure 6.22: Tunbridge ware caddy, c. 1840, attributed to Edmund Nye. Holly veneer on pine carcass; lid with view of Eridge Castle, East Sussex, set in holly surround and framed with border of mosaic; mosaic bandings around sides; rosewood bun feet; base covered with black velvet; underside of lid veneered with holly with central abstract mosaic panel and border; interior with two compartments. Height 13 cm (5 1/8 in); width 17.8 cm (7 in); depth 11.4 cm (4 ½ in). Private collection 

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Figure 6.23: Tunbridge ware chest, c. 1865, attributed to Henry Hollamby. Rosewood veneer on pine carcass; lid with tessellated mosaic view of Eridge Castle, set in holly surround; bold floral mosaic border on lid, and narrow bandings of mosaic on sides; rosewood bun feet; underside of lid veneered with mosaic spray of flowers and leaf borders; interior containing two wooden canisters with mosaic abstract designs on lids, and well with glass sugar bowl. Height 20.5 cm (8 1/12 in); width 35.6 cm (14 in); depth 20.3 cm (8 in). Canterbury Auction Galleries 

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Figure 6.24: Tunbridge ware caddy, c. 1865, attributed to Henry Hollamby. Rosewood veneer on pine carcass; lid with tessellated mosaic view of the Gatehouse, Battle Abbey, East Sussex, set in holly surround, with mosaic borders; sides with wide bandng of floral mosaic; base covered with black Morocco paper; interior with two compartments with lids with mosaic borders. Height 10.2 cm (4 in); width 20 cm (7 7/8 in); depth 12.7cm (5 in). Private collection 

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Figure 6.25: Tunbridge ware caddy, c. 1870, attributed to Henry Hollamby. Rosewood veneer on pine carcass; lid with tessellated mosaic view of Muckross Abbey, Killarney, Ireland, set in holly surround, with mosaic borders; sides with wide band of floral mosaic; rosewood bun feet; base covered with black paper; underside of lid veneered with rosewood; interior with two compartments with rosewood-veneered lids with mosaic borders and turned rosewood knobs. Hollamby originated this view of Muckross Abbey, though it was acquired by others after his death. Height 12.7 cm (5 in); width 22.9 cm (9 in); depth 13 cm (5 1/14 in). Private collection 

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Figure 6.26: Tunbridge ware caddy, c. 1840, attributed to Edmund Nye. Rosewood veneer on pine carcass; lid decorated with abstract tessellated mosaic in holly surround; front and lid with borders of miniature parquetry; escutcheon similarly decorated; base and underside of lid covered with pink paper; interior with two compartments with rosewood lids edged with miniature parquetry and bearing turned rosewood knobs. Height 11.4 cm (4 ½ in); width 21 cm (8 ¼ in); depth 11.4 cm (4 ½ in). Private collection 

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Figure 6.27: Tunbridge ware chest, c. 1840. Rosewood veneer on pine carcass; front with three inset arched panels; lid with bird in tessellated mosaic in holly surround and inscription ‘A PRESENT FROM TUNBRIDGE WELLS’, all flanked by miniature parquetry; rosewood ring handles at ends; rosewood bun feet; brass lock with crown and ‘G.R.’ on one side, and crown and ‘Patent’ on the other; interior containing two wooden canisters with lids decorated with marquetry lozenges, and cut-glass sugar bowl in well lined with yellow Morocco paper. Height 20 cm (7 7/8 in); width 34.3 cm (13 ½ in); depth 19.1 cm (7 ½ in). Tunbridge Wells Museum & Art Gallery 

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Figure 6.28: Tunbridge ware caddy, c. 1870. Rosewood veneer on pine carcass; floral tessellated mosaic, set in holly surround, with mosaic borders on lid; sides with wide mosaic banding of oak leaves, acorns and roses on sides; interior with single compartment with lid bearing turned sycamore knob. Height 14 cm (5 ½ in); width 14 cm (5 ½ in). Woolley & Wallis Salisbury Saleroom Ltd 

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Figure 6.30: Tunbridge ware chest, c. 1835, possibly by George Wise. Rosewood veneer on pine carcass; lid with tessellated mosaic view of the State Apartments, Windsor Castle, set in holly surround and with mosaic borders; sides with floral and geometric bandings; rosewood bun feet; base covered with marbled paper; underside of lid veneered with rosewood; interior containing two wooden canisters with mosaic-decorated lids, and moulded-glass sugar bowl in well lined with green velvet. Height 20 cm (7 7/8 in); width 34.5 cm (13 5/8 in); depth 19.1 cm (7 ½ in). Tunbridge Wells Museum & Art Gallery 

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Figure 6.32: Tunbridge ware caddy, c. 1870, by Thomas Barton. Coromandel wood veneer on pine carcass, with narrow geometric borders; silvered hinges; base covered with black Morocco paper and bearing trade label of ‘T. BARTON, Late NYE, Manufacturer, MOUNT EPHRAIM, AND PARADE, TUNBRIDGE WELLS’; underside of lid lined with tinfoil; interior with two compartments with lids veneered as exterior and fitted with ivory bar-and-ball knobs. Height 11.7 cm (4 5/8 in); width 19.4 cm (7 5/8 in); depth 11.2 cm (4 3/8 in). Private collection 

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Figure 6.33: Tunbridge ware caddy, c. 1870, by Thomas Barton. Rosewood veneer on pine carcass; lid with floral tessellated mosaic set in holly surround, with mosaic border; sides with mosaic banding of roses and foliage; base covered with blue Morocco paper and bearing trade label of ‘T. BARTON, Late NYE, MOUNT EPHRAIM, AND PARADE, TUNBRIDGE WELLS’; underside of lid lined with maroon Morocco paper; interior with single compartment with rosewood lid bearing turned rosewood knob. Height 11.4 cm (4 ½ in); width 14 cm (5 ½ in); depth 10.2 cm (4 in). Private collection

Figure 6.34: Tunbridge ware chest, c. 1860, attributed to Robert Russell. Rosewood veneer on pine carcass; raised lid with panel of perspective cube work on top, and marquetry decoration on sloping edges; distinctive lobed marquetry decoration in holly surround, typical of Russell, on sides; rosewood bun feet; underside of lid veneered with rosewood, but vertical inner sides lined with pink paper; interior containing two wooden canisters with lids decorated with similar lobed marquetry, and central cut-glass sugar bowl. Width 31.8 cm (12 ½ in). Fine Antique Boxes (Tony and the late June Stone) 

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Figure 6.35: Tunbridge ware chest, c. 1845, probably by William Upton. Rosewood veneer on pine carcass; lid with panel containing marquetry butterfly on holly surround, flanked by miniature parquetry, with borders of tessellated mosaic; front with panel of perspective cube work, with tessellated mosaic border; rosewood bun feet; base covered with paper printed with small stars; underside of lid lined with red paper printed with gold diamond pattern; interior containing two canisters with rosewood lids bearing turned bone knobs, and central glass sugar bowl. Height 17.1 cm (6 ¾ in); width 30.5 cm (12 in); depth 15 cm (5 7/8 in). Private collection 

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Figure 6.36: Tunbridge ware caddy, c. 1830, by Thomas Cheeseman. Rosewood veneer on pine carcass; lid decorated with perspective cube work; rosewood bun feet; base covered with marbled paper and bearing trade label of ‘CHEESMAN [sic], From Morris’s Turner, and Tunbridge Ware MANUFACTURER … No 9 CRANBOURN STREET, West Street, Brighton’; underside of lid lined with red Morocco paper; interior with two compartments with lids decorated with cube work and bearing turned bone knobs, and central pressed-glass sugar bowl (later) with registration mark for 23 May 1850. Height 16.5 cm (6 ½ in); width 30.5 cm (12 in); depth 15 cm (5 7/8 in). Private collection 

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Figure 6.39: Killarney caddy, c. 1875. Arbutus and holly veneer on pine carcass; lid decorated with a rose and leaves; border with leaves and berries; sides with banding of ferns centred on a shamrock leaf; underside of main lid lined with silvered paper; interior with single compartment, also lined with silvered paper. Height 14 cm (5 ½ in); width 13.8 cm (5 3/8 in); depth 13.8 cm (5 3/8 in). Private collection