Tunbridgeware Postage Box

Another lovely stamp box with the tesserae title “Postage” on the top. This has no tesserae geometric decoration around the side, but rather exhibits a beautiful natural wood pattern in mahogany. These types of box are often attributed to TL Green in the period 1931-9, but he also used a vertical tongue joint on the corners, and this does not display that finish. So we can attribute this to Hollamby (1819-95) who originated the spelling out of names in tesserae, and date it to the period 1860s. It is one of a number of similarly produced boxes of about the same dimensions but with different titles on the top. The site has another example available. Size 2 1/2″ x 1 3/8″ x 3/4″. A beautiful desk accessory.