Search 0
59,701  PAGES BROWSED TODAY PAGES TODAY • 162 ANTIQUES UPLOADED TODAYNEW ARRIVALS
Sorted by
Per page
JOIN AS A SELLER DEALER LOGIN
Selling Antiques Logo
0
Saved
GIFTS
162 ITEMS ADDED TODAY
Home
Return
Dealer Login
500+ Shops
Dealers
Newly Added
0
Saved
Antiques dealer?
Join as a Seller
Sort Order
Items Per Page
sellingantiques.co.uk
Browse Categories
Sort order
Relevant Links
Items per page
ID #SA1218712
FOR SALE
£1,250
Email Phone Buy
Save
Antique English Victorian Tunbridge Ware Tea Caddy ~ Henry Hollamby
For sale by Antiques4EU
for sale €1,463     $1,588
£1,250
Antiques4EU

Antiques4EU

Sellingantiques Verified Since Oct 2020
Browse dealers 199 items
  • About Us
    Dealers in the old, the rare and the beautiful ~
↓ Relevant Links
Id #SA1218712
PDF SHARE
SAVE

Antique English Victorian Tunbridge Ware Tea Caddy ~ Henry Hollamby

19th century
For Sale by Antiques4EU
Description

A fine Mid 19th Century Antique English Victorian Tunbridge Ware Rosewood Tea Caddy of unusual form, the interior fittings comprising a single tea canister together with mixing bowl. The original bowl having long since been lost, this has now been replaced by a most attractive green floriate vase of the period. Original hinges and marbled paper to the base, but no Maker's Label to the piece. This may however be attributed with reasonable certainty to Henry Hollamby of Tunbridge Wells, who is known to have used the tesselated mosaic picture on the lid, of a boy wearing a kilt, reclining on the ground, accompanied by a dog and a parrot; this widely held to depict Queen Victoria's son, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales as a young boy. { See : Brian Austen : "Tunbridge Ware, Pages 102 / 103" : Foulsham, 1989 / 1996 / 2001 }. Lock in working order with replacement key.

Height ~ 14.00 cm. / 5.50 inches ~ Width ~ 24.10 cm. / 9.50 inches ~ Depth ~ 14.00 cm. / 5.50 inches ~ Year ~ Circa 1850

LOVE This Item ? ~ Why Not Make Us An Offer ?

Our Warranty:- Buy it, enjoy it and take good care of it, subject only to these conditions, we undertake to accept this item back at any time and to credit the original purchase price against further purchases.

Just one of the thousands of warranted antiques ~ vintage collectables ~ catalogues and antiques reference works for sale at our main website ~ https://www.applecrossantiques.com

Physical Dimensions
Height
14cm (5.51")
Width
24cm (9.45")
Depth
14cm (5.51")
Declaration

Antiques4EU has dated this Tunbridge Ware Tea Caddy to the 19th Century.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1218712
Dealers Internal Reference
AEVTWTC-20
Description
A fine Mid 19th Century Antique English Victorian Tunbridge Ware Rosewood Tea Caddy of unusual form, the interior fittings comprising a single tea canister together with mixing bowl.
“
The original bowl having long since been lost, this has now been replaced by a most attractive green floriate vase of the period.
Antiques4EU

Original hinges and marbled paper to the base, but no Maker's Label to the piece. This may however be attributed with reasonable certainty to Henry Hollamby of Tunbridge Wells, who is known to have used the tesselated mosaic picture on the lid, of a boy wearing a kilt, reclining on the ground, accompanied by a dog and a parrot; this widely held to depict Queen Victoria's son, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales as a young boy. { See : Brian Austen : "Tunbridge Ware, Pages 102 / 103" : Foulsham, 1989 / 1996 / 2001 }. Lock in working order with replacement key.

fig 1. A rectangular Victorian rosewood tea caddy featuring intricate Tunbridge ware mosaic borders and a central pictorial inlay on the hinged lid.
fig 1. Antique English Victorian Tunbridge Ware Tea Caddy ~ Henry Hollamby

Height ~ 14.00 cm. / 5.50 inches ~ Width ~ 24.10 cm. / 9.50 inches ~ Depth ~ 14.00 cm. / 5.50 inches ~ Year ~ Circa 1850

LOVE This Item ? ~ Why Not Make Us An Offer ?

Our Warranty:- Buy it, enjoy it and take good care of it, subject only to these conditions, we undertake to accept this item back at any time and to credit the original purchase price against further purchases.

Just one of the thousands of warranted antiques ~ vintage collectables ~ catalogues and antiques reference works for sale at our main website ~ https://www.applecrossantiques.com

Height
14cm (5.51")
Width
24cm (9.45")
Depth
14cm (5.51")
Date of Manufacture

Antiques4EU has dated this Tunbridge Ware Tea Caddy to the 19th Century.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1218712
Dealers Internal Ref
AEVTWTC-20
Antiques4EU
Antiques4EU
Sellingantiques verified Since Oct 2020

Dealers in the old, the rare and the beautiful ~

Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Antiques4EU Profile Page

PDF SHARE
SAVE
A rectangular Victorian rosewood tea caddy featuring intricate Tunbridge ware mosaic borders and a central pictorial inlay on the hinged lid.
1 / 17
Archive I A rectangular Victorian rosewood tea caddy featuring intricate Tunbridge ware mosaic borders and a central pictorial inlay on the hinged lid.

Antique English Victorian Tunbridge Ware Tea Caddy ~ Henry Hollamby

Archive II A rectangular Victorian rosewood tea caddy featuring intricate Tunbridge ware mosaic borders and a central pictorial inlay on the hinged lid. View II
Archive III A rectangular Victorian rosewood tea caddy featuring intricate Tunbridge ware mosaic borders and a central pictorial inlay on the hinged lid. View III
Archive IV A rectangular Victorian rosewood tea caddy featuring intricate Tunbridge ware mosaic borders and a central pictorial inlay on the hinged lid. View IV
Archive V A rectangular Victorian rosewood tea caddy featuring intricate Tunbridge ware mosaic borders and a central pictorial inlay on the hinged lid. View V
Archive VI A rectangular Victorian rosewood tea caddy featuring intricate Tunbridge ware mosaic borders and a central pictorial inlay on the hinged lid. View VI
Archive VII A rectangular Victorian rosewood tea caddy featuring intricate Tunbridge ware mosaic borders and a central pictorial inlay on the hinged lid. View VII
Archive VIII A rectangular Victorian rosewood tea caddy featuring intricate Tunbridge ware mosaic borders and a central pictorial inlay on the hinged lid. View VIII
Archive IX A rectangular Victorian rosewood tea caddy featuring intricate Tunbridge ware mosaic borders and a central pictorial inlay on the hinged lid. View IX
Archive X A rectangular Victorian rosewood tea caddy featuring intricate Tunbridge ware mosaic borders and a central pictorial inlay on the hinged lid. View X
Archive XI A rectangular Victorian rosewood tea caddy featuring intricate Tunbridge ware mosaic borders and a central pictorial inlay on the hinged lid. View XI
Archive XII A rectangular Victorian rosewood tea caddy featuring intricate Tunbridge ware mosaic borders and a central pictorial inlay on the hinged lid. View XII
Archive XIII A rectangular Victorian rosewood tea caddy featuring intricate Tunbridge ware mosaic borders and a central pictorial inlay on the hinged lid. View XIII
Archive XIV A rectangular Victorian rosewood tea caddy featuring intricate Tunbridge ware mosaic borders and a central pictorial inlay on the hinged lid. View XIV
Archive XV A rectangular Victorian rosewood tea caddy featuring intricate Tunbridge ware mosaic borders and a central pictorial inlay on the hinged lid. View XV
Archive XVI A rectangular Victorian rosewood tea caddy featuring intricate Tunbridge ware mosaic borders and a central pictorial inlay on the hinged lid. View XVI
Archive XVII A rectangular Victorian rosewood tea caddy featuring intricate Tunbridge ware mosaic borders and a central pictorial inlay on the hinged lid. View XVII
Enlarged Archival View
Antiques4EU

Antiques4EU
Telephone 07711 802159
Location
Shrewsbury
Shropshire
United Kingdom
Dealer Profile Page sellingantiques.co.uk/Antiques4EU
Verified Since Oct 2020
Items For Sale 199
Items Sold 10
Antiques4EU
Antiques4EU
Verified Since Oct 2020
View Dealer Info
Location: Shrewsbury, Shropshire, United Kingdom
Profile: sellingantiques.co.uk/Antiques4EU
Verified
Oct 2020
For Sale
199
Sold
10
A rectangular Victorian rosewood tea caddy featuring intricate Tunbridge ware mosaic borders and a central pictorial inlay on the hinged lid.
Antique English Victorian Tunbridge Ware Tea Caddy ~ Henry Hollamby
Ref: SA1218712
A rectangular Victorian rosewood tea caddy featuring intricate Tunbridge ware mosaic borders and a central pictorial inlay on the hinged lid.
Detail View 1
Detail View 2
Detail View 3
Detail View 4
Detail View 5
Detail View 6
Detail View 7
Detail View 8
Detail View 9
Detail View 10
Detail View 11
Detail View 12
Detail View 13
Detail View 14
Detail View 15
Detail View 16
Archival Detail

Strictly Vetted Dealers

Every single antique dealer on our platform is individually approved by our internal team. We verify their professional trade history, ethical standards, and photographic quality to ensure a secure, high-standard buying environment. Upon joining, every dealer agrees to a strict 9-point code of conduct. While issues can occasionally arise, our dealers typically resolve them swiftly and directly with the buyer. In fact, since our founding in 2002, Sellingantiques has only had to step in to help resolve an issue on roughly five occasions—a true testament to the quality of our dealers and their dedication to your happiness.

Secure Transit

Our dealers are highly experienced in packing and shipping fragile, high-value antiques. Because you are in direct contact with the dealer, you will be able to easily go through all available shipping and insurance options together to ensure your item arrives safely.

The Sustainable Choice

Antiques are the ultimate green purchase. By choosing historical pieces over newly manufactured goods, you completely eliminate the carbon footprint of modern mass production while preserving exceptional, timeless craftsmanship.

Cataloguer’s note

Written by Sellingantiques from the dealer’s photographs and listing
  • ObjectTea Caddy
  • Period19th century
  • StyleVictorian Tunbridge Ware
  • MaterialRosewood, Walnut, Holly, Sycamore
  • ColourWarm Brown
  • MotifsMicro-mosaic inlay, Floral parquetry border, Pictorial central panel, Keyhole escutcheon
  • SizeH 14 cm (6 in) x W 24 cm (9 in) x D 14 cm (6 in)

This mid-nineteenth-century English Victorian Tunbridge Ware tea caddy takes a rectangular form in rosewood, walnut, holly, and sycamore with a warm brown colour palette. The hinged lid displays a central pictorial micro-mosaic panel depicting a boy in a kilt reclining on the ground with a dog and a parrot, bordered by an intricate floral parquetry design that repeats on the front panel and around the keyhole escutcheon. Original hinges secure the lid, while a small metal keyhole escutcheon sits on the front edge above a lower panel decorated with a central floral parquetry spray. The piece measures 14.00 cm high, 24.10 cm wide, and 14.00 cm deep, offering a practical storage box for a traditional interior. Positioned on a sideboard top, this caddy brings period character and intricate woodwork to a living room, dining room, or entrance hall. The surface shows a visible grain variation across the dark rosewood body and lighter wood inlays, alongside fine micro-mosaic tesserae forming the borders and pictorial scene. The working lock accepts a replacement key, while the interior houses a single tea canister and a green floriate vase replacing the lost original mixing bowl, with marbled paper lining the base. Collectors of nineteenth-century Tunbridge Ware will find this piece suited for display and functional use in a period or country house setting.

FAQs

Tunbridge ware is a form of decorative inlaid woodwork, characteristic of Tunbridge Wells in Kent during the 18th and 19th centuries. The technique involves assembling microscopic end-grain wooden strips into geometric mosaic patterns to decorate boxes, writing slopes, and small furniture items.

Victorian tea caddies were predominantly constructed from fine hardwoods such as rosewood, mahogany, or walnut. Tunbridge ware examples incorporated hundreds of tiny tesserae made from natural, un-dyed native woods including holly, yew, sycamore, and laburnum to form detailed parquetry and pictorial mosaic panels.

Authentic pieces feature end-grain wooden mosaic patterns (tessellated mosaic) rather than flat surface veneers or printed imitations. Examining the borders for minute, repeating geometric designs, signature floral bands, or pictorial central panels crafted from natural wood tones confirms authenticity.

A decorative tea caddy functions well on a sideboard, mantelpiece, or desk as a focal accent object. Its rich wood grain and detailed inlay add tactile interest and contrast when layered alongside modern ceramics or minimal contemporary artwork.

Keep the object away from direct sunlight and fluctuating humidity to prevent wood warping or inlay detachment. Dust regularly with a soft, dry lint-free cloth and apply a high-quality natural beeswax polish sparingly to maintain the original wax finish.
items
Add keywords to the filter
Price
£100
£250000
Era
Period
Style
Material
Origin
Stock Location
Recently Added
Online Payments
Categories