19th Century Tunbridge Ware Rosewood Inkstand

Two glass, lidded inkwells flank a pen recess and stamp box with butterfly design lid. The top is finely decorated with a mosaic style inlay and the sides with a rose pattern. It stands on bun feet.

Width: 9”; Depth: 6”; Height: 2” (22.9 cm x 15.2 cm x 5.1 cm)

Provenance: from a private collection.

Tunbridge Ware is highly collectable today. It originated in the 17th Century and production reached its heyday in the Victorian era, when it became a popular souvenir for visitors taking the waters in the fashionable health spa of Tunbridge Wells. Local craftsmen created a range of boxes, desk accessories and other items, beautifully decorated with mosaic inlays and marquetry in natural coloured woods. Rosewood, mahogany and walnut were popular choices for many items, with inlays in a wide variety of woods, including yew, holly, maple, satinwood, oak, cherry, plum and sycamore. Designs included floral patterns, the famous tumbling, or perspective, cubes and well-known landmarks and historic buildings.