Antique Tunbridge Ware Dome Top Box, in mahogany and satinwood, inlaid with other exotic woods. Interior is original-can be re-lined if buyer prefers-please contact for cost. English, Circa 1830 Height: 3.5” Width: 7.5” Depth: 4.5” A Tunbridge ware banjo Tunbridge ware is a form of decoratively inlaid woodwork, typically in the form of boxes, that is characteristic of Tonbridge and the spa town of Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent in the 18th and 19th centuries. The decoration typically consists of a mosaic of many very small pieces of different coloured woods that form a pictorial vignette. Shaped rods and slivers of wood were first carefully glued together, then cut into many thin slices of identical pictorial veneer with a fine saw. Elaborately striped and feathered bandings for framing were pre-formed in a similar fashion. There is a collection of Tunbridge ware in the Tunbridge Wells Museum and Art Gallery in Tunbridge Wells. The famous makers of Tunbridge ware were in the Tunbridge Wells area of Kent; their most notable work was from about 1830 to 1900. Early makers of Tunbridge ware, in Tunbridge Wells in the mid 18th century, were the Burrows family, and Fenner and Co. In the 19th century, around 1830, James Burrows invented a technique of creating mosaics from wooden tesserae. Henry Hollamby, apprenticed to the Burrows family, set up on his own in 1842 and became an important manufacturer of Tunbridge ware, employing about 40 people. I have guesstimated cost for USPS to professionally pack and ship the box-$35.00. If they charge more, I will pay the extra for the buyer. However, if they charge less, I will refund the buyer the difference. I offer a 6 month layaway on most full priced items. Please inquire if you are interested in setting up a layaway. Items ship when payment is complete. I guarantee the authenticity of my items. Each one of them has been evaluated and tested prior to listing.