High Victorian More Furniture and Collectibles

This is a wide antique taxidermy dome. An English, glass over ebonised mahogany specimen or ornament showcase, dating to the mid Victorian period, circa 1870. Usefully broad in dia...

Black Americana boy with straw hat tobacco leaf plaque, realistically cast with the boy in the straw hat breaking through a tobacco leaf.

This antique mechanical toy is unsigned, but presumed to have been made in Europe, possibly England or Austria in approximately 1880 and done in...

A tall and impressive Victorian hall stand in walnut. The central domed top is complemented with an arrangement of two rows of seven substantial painted brass hooks. The base is fl...

The Victorian Rococo giltwood top of mirror frame is hand-carved with flowers, leaves and scrolls. The centre oval contains two birds without stretched wings and a nest and eggs...

Guido Cacciapuoti bronze horses couples 1940 Italy.

This is a wide antique clock dome. An English, glass over ebonised pine display showcase, dating to the mid Victorian period, circa 1860. Superb size, ideal for a larger mantel clo...

PRESENTING an EXTREMELY UNIQUE and RARE 19C British Tunbridgeware Hair Pin/Bobbin or Slide. This slide is unlike any of it’s kind we have seen before, it is a VERY RARE survivor. From circa 1860 – 80 and made in Tunbridge Wells, England. Made of walnut with gorgeous marquetry inlay on the entirety of the front with classic Tunbridgeware micro-mosaic all over the front. The rear is walnut. The marquetry inlay appears to be various different woods, namely, maple, walnut and satinwood. Would have been worn in a Lady’s hair bun with the micro-mosaic facing forward. This would have belonged to a VERY ELEGANT LADY in the mid to late 19th Century. 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 circa 1830-1900. 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. Edmund Nye (1797–1863) and his father took over the Fenner company when William Fenner retired in 1840, after 30 years in partnership with him. Thomas Barton (1819–1903), previously apprenticed at the Wise factory, joined the Nyes in 1836, and worked as Nye’s designer; he took over the business in 1863 and continued there until his death. In Tonbridge (near to Tunbridge Wells), George Wise (1703–1779) is known to have had a business in 1746. It continued with his son Thomas, and Thomas’s nephew George (1779–1869), who took over in 1806. In its early years the company made articles such as workboxes and tea caddies with prints of popular views; later items had pictures created from mosaics. Their workshop in Tonbridge, Wise’s Tunbridge Ware Manufactory, was next to the Big Bridge over the Medway; the building was demolished in 1886 to widen the approach to the bridge. Tunbridge ware became popular with visitors to the spa town of Tunbridge Wells, who bought them as souvenirs and gifts. Articles included cribbage boards, paperweights, writing slopes, snuffboxes and glove boxes. At the Great Exhibition of 1851, Tunbridge ware by Edmund Nye, Robert Russell and Henry Hollamby was shown; Edmund Nye received a commendation from the judges for his work. He exhibited a table depicting a mosaic of a ship at sea; 110,800 tesserae were used in making the picture. The manufacturers of Tunbridge ware were cottage industries, and they were no more than nine in Tunbridge Wells and one in Tonbridge. The number declined in the 1880s; competent craftsmen were hard to find, and public tastes changed. After the death of Thomas Barton in 1903 the only surviving firm was Boyce, Brown and Kemp, which closed in 1927. Marquetry was an old technique which was continued by Nye and Barton to create images such as birds or butterflies. ‘Green Oak’ as caused by the fungus Chlorociboria aeruginascens. Stickware and half-square mosaic was invented by James Burrows in about 1830: a bunch of wooden sticks of different colours, each having triangular or diamond-shaped cross section, were tightly glued together; in the case of stickware, the resulting block was dried, then turned to form an article such as the base of a pincushion. For half-square mosaic, thin slices were taken from the composite block, and applied to a surface. Tesselated mosaic, was a development by James Burrows of half-square mosaic; it was adopted by George Wise and Edmund Nye. Minute tesserae were used to form a wide variety of geometric and pictorial designs. Many sorts of wood were used for the various colours; about 40 were in regular use. Only natural colors were used; green was provided by “green oak”, produced by the action of fungus on fallen oak. Designs for articles were often taken from designs of Berlin wool work.

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this very rare and highly collectable, one of a kind heavy cast brass Victorian coat stand with red velour c...

This pair of antique turned mercantile hat stands are unsigned but presumed to originate from England and date to approximately 1880 and done in a period Victorians style. The shafts and base are composed of solid oak with have been lath turned in an ornate manner and topped with engraved star shaped brass caps.The bases have cut circular channels that are lead filled.

This is an antique lithography map of Suffolk. An English, framed atlas engraving of cartographic interest, dating to the mid 19th century and later. Superb lithography of Suffolk ...

We are delighted to offer for sale this stunning, circa 1880 hand painted Romanian clothes trunk or marriage coffer chest depicting a large Church to the front. I have recently purchased a very large collection of these original, antique painted wardrobes...

Set of three antique tintypes of women. Price is for all 3 as a set. A tintype is a photograph made by creating a direct positive on a thin sheet of m...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this absolutely stunning Victorian circa 1880 Shargeen & Silver Vesta case for matches A very good looking,...

We are delighted to offer for sale this original Victorian games compendium with a complete suite of games. This is a very well made and ...

We are delighted to offer for sale this original circa 1880 English Elm strapped with Wrought Iron rivets, leather handled, canvas steamer trunk This is a very well made example ...

We are delighted to offer for sale this stunning original English circa 1880 brass hat glove and coat stand with rare Dolphin tripod base. This is a bit of a unicorn in the world ...

Large cast iron umbrella stick stand An exceptional quality and attractive 19th century cast iron hall stand. This ornate stand has ...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely Antique Victorian Brass & Mahogany fully stamped stick umbrella stand circa 1880 Please note th...

Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this lovely original circa 1860's Italian hand painted storage trunk or chest depicting Cherubs Please not...