Tunbridgeware Writing Slope

A really good mid-19th century marquetry Tunbridgeware WRITING SLOPE in particularly fine original condition. The sloping lid features a rare marquetry scene of Dover Castle within a border of oak leaves. It opens fore-and-aft to reveal the original red velvet writing surface and a pair of inkwells both with original Tunbridge tops together with concave pen section and a lidded compartment with a Tunbridgeware lid. The quality of the marquetry in this box is astonishing. 12.25ins (31cms) wide. *Tunbridge-ware is a form of decorative woodwork, typically boxes, that was made in the spa town of Tunbridge Wells (UK) in the 18th/19th centuries. The decoration consists of a mosaic of many very small pieces of different coloured woods to form a pictorial vignette. c.1865