A Tonbridge mosaic taper and match box

Tonbridge, Kent was a centre for domestic wood products for several centuries, before the craftsmen developed a method of producing mosaic designs in about 1827, remaining a centre for this art form for about a century. The majority of companies engaged in this work however were located in Tunbridge Wells, about four miles south of Tonbridge, and there were a couple of producers on the south coast.

A very wide range of small wares were made, and even chairs and a piano have been recorded decorated in the mosaic work. Match holders were quite common, and in a distinctive style were combined taper and match holders of the type shown here.

	Fig. 1. A Tonbridge box with candle socket and ivory or bone match socket. Centre: the top of the lid without the sockets. Right: the underside of the base with the friction surface.

The lid slips on; the main body holds a compartment for a candle; the base unscrews to reveal a compartment for wafers.

The decorative side panels, top of the lid, and the candle socket are all made using the same technique. That is, strips of natural colored woods are glued together to form a pattern, and a thin slice is cut off and glued into a prepared recess. The candle socket is cut from the glued strips in its full length, and turned to create the shape and design.

Each of the 495 strips per side panel are about 1mm by 1mm square, cut from sheets of veneer, with or across the grain to produce two slightly different shades of color from the same sheet of veneer, and glued together to form the design. The block of strips produces numerous slices of repeat designs, cut with a thin circular saw, so that a block of approximately six inches long would yield about sixty slices. Fig. 2 demonstrates the process.

Fig. 2.

Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 shows the turned candle socket at the top, and below the 32 shaped strips around the central core, glued together ready to be cut, turned and the screw thread applied, to go into the lid. The decorative panel on the lid (shown in Fig. 1) is made in the same manner, using small squares, elongated strips, triangles and diamond shapes to produce an incredibly complex design. Fig. 4 shows a cross section through the box that demonstrates the construction.

Fig. 4. A - the main body B - the base to hold wafers C - lid D - candle socket E - match socket F - candle receptacle G - match receptacle

The work involved in making these articles was labour intensive, requiring the devotion of dedicated, highly skilled craftsmen. Particularly large mosaic panels depicting The Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells and a perspective view of Battle Abbey are known, and full size needlework tables with all of the surfaces covered in intricate floral and geometric patterns exist. Even the smaller items, such as the example discussed here, were necessarily expensive; way beyond the means of the average man. But Tunbridge Wells was a popular place for the wealthy to take the waters, attracting Royalty, Lords and Ladies, so that a ready market came to the doorstep and were attracted by the many novelty items. South coast resorts retailed them, and probably some of the better London stores, but the market did not go much beyond this.

Unfortunately the makers seldom marked their smaller items, although some may be found bearing retailers marks. The piece shown here was probably made c.1860.