Skip to main content
Items Similar to Victorian James Tennant Antique Mahogany Fossil and Mineral Specimen Cabinet
Paravia Collection 100 Rocks, Educational Material, Italy 1950s
Paravia Collection 100 Rocks, Educational Material, Italy 1950s
Collection of Minerals in Fan-shaped Case
Collection of Minerals in Fan-shaped Case
Collection of Museum Minerals in Display Case
Collection of Museum Minerals in Display Case
Set of English Lower Cretaceous Fossil Specimens Collected In Sussex
Set of English Lower Cretaceous Fossil Specimens Collected In Sussex
Curiosity Cabinet Naturalism Collection of Shell, Circa 1900
Curiosity Cabinet Naturalism Collection of Shell, Circa 1900
Curiosity Cabinet Naturalism Collection of Shell circa 1900
Curiosity Cabinet Naturalism Collection of Shell circa 1900
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller.

Victorian James Tennant Antique Mahogany Fossil and Mineral Specimen Cabinet

$4,765.59
£3,500
€4,268.11
CA$6,767
A$6,928.50
CHF 3,935.20
MX$88,606.30
NOK 45,267.77
SEK 47,039.20
DKK 31,904.59

About the Item

Constructed from solid mahogany with a hinged lid, this compact collector's chest houses an educational geological collection arranged across four lift-out wooden trays. Each tray is divided into small pasteboard compartments retaining numerous numbered and hand-inscribed specimens, including fossil molluscs, plant impressions, shark teeth, polished stones and minerals preserved in miniature glass phials. Pink silk webbing pulls are fitted to the tray edges for lifting. Pasted to the inner lid is an intact printed trade broadsheet issued by James Tennant, Mineralogist by appointment to Her Majesty, at 149 Strand, London, dated August 1874. The prospectus describes these five-guinea instructional sets, which originally comprised five trays and two hundred examples planned to accompany standard Victorian geological textbooks by Lyell, Mantell, Buckland and Murchison. Four trays remain with the cabinet; a fifth tray containing asbestos minerals has been removed. Tennant (1808–1881) served as Professor of Geological Mineralogy and Geology at King's College London and lectured at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. Originally apprenticed in 1824 to mineral dealer John Mawe, he later managed the Strand premises alongside Mawe's widow before purchasing the firm outright in 1840. That same year he was appointed Mineralogist to Queen Victoria, later overseeing the recutting of the Koh-i-Noor diamond and authenticating early South African diamond discoveries. The exterior case retains its brass keyhole escutcheon and lid hinges. While minor wear and age dusting are visible to the cardboard dividers and paper tickets, the trays and surviving specimens remain well preserved. We ship internationally, tracked. Please see our other items for sale, where we combine shipping on multiple lots. We also offer freight shipping for larger furniture pieces.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 4.73 in (12 cm)Width: 11.82 in (30 cm)Depth: 6.7 in (17 cm)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Wood
  • Period:
    Late 19th Century
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1874
  • Condition:
  • Seller Location:
    Nottingham, GB
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU9003252554702

More From This Seller

View All
Antique Victorian Mahogany Fitted Apothecary Chest with Bottles and Accessories

Antique Victorian Mahogany Fitted Apothecary Chest with Bottles and Accessories

Antique Victorian Mahogany Fitted Apothecary Chest with Bottles and Accessories

Located in Nottingham, GB

Constructed in rich, straight-grained mahogany, this compact domestic medicine chest features clean rectangular proportions with brass fittings and an inlaid brass-lined shield escut...

Category

Antique Late 19th Century Apothecary Cabinets

Materials

Brass

Large Antique Mahogany Forty-Two Drawer Specimen Collectors Cabinet

Large Antique Mahogany Forty-Two Drawer Specimen Collectors Cabinet

Large Antique Mahogany Forty-Two Drawer Specimen Collectors Cabinet

Located in Nottingham, GB

A finely carved border of gadrooned beading outlines the upper cornice and lower plinth of this substantial collectors cabinet, crafted circa 1835 during the late William IV period. ...

Category

Antique Early 19th Century Cabinets

Materials

Mahogany, Oak

Antique Herringbone Inlaid Mahogany Double-Sided Apothecary Cabinet ca. 1800

Antique Herringbone Inlaid Mahogany Double-Sided Apothecary Cabinet ca. 1800

Antique Herringbone Inlaid Mahogany Double-Sided Apothecary Cabinet ca. 1800

Located in Nottingham, GB

Framed by delicate herringbone stringing with re-entrant corners, this compact apothecary chest is fashioned from rich, close-grained mahogany. The cabinet opens from both front and ...

Category

Antique Early 19th Century Apothecary Cabinets

Materials

Brass

Stone's 'Popular' Polished Walnut Tabletop Four-Drawer Collector's Cabinet

Stone's 'Popular' Polished Walnut Tabletop Four-Drawer Collector's Cabinet

Stone's 'Popular' Polished Walnut Tabletop Four-Drawer Collector's Cabinet

Located in Nottingham, GB

Fine comb jointing at the outer corners defines the carcass of this compact tabletop chest, constructed in solid polished walnut with warm, figured grain across the top and side pane...

Category

Early 20th Century Cabinets

Materials

Brass

You May Also Like

Collection of Museum Minerals in Display Case

Collection of Museum Minerals in Display Case

Collection of Museum Minerals in Display Case

Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire

A collection of museum minerals in a display case. Presented in a sleek glazed case, the collection includes 38 European minerals, including amethyst and pyrite, all with their own s...

Category

Antique 15th Century and Earlier European Natural Specimens

Materials

Natural Fiber

Collection of Museum Minerals in Display Case

Collection of Museum Minerals in Display Case

Collection of Museum Minerals in Display Case

Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire

A collection of museum minerals in a display case. Presented in a sleek glazed case, the set includes 48 European minerals, including a gold vial, a rock with traces of gold, lapis l...

Category

Antique 15th Century and Earlier English Natural Specimens

Materials

Natural Fiber

Curiosity Cabinet Naturalism Collection of Shell circa 1900

Curiosity Cabinet Naturalism Collection of Shell circa 1900

Curiosity Cabinet Naturalism Collection of Shell circa 1900

Located in Beuzevillette, FR

Very interesting set of shells collected by an amateur between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The shells are classified by size and age either in ...

Category

Early 20th Century French Nautical Objects

Materials

Shell

Curiosity Cabinet Naturalism Collection of Shell, Circa 1900

Curiosity Cabinet Naturalism Collection of Shell, Circa 1900

Curiosity Cabinet Naturalism Collection of Shell, Circa 1900

Located in Beuzevillette, FR

Very interesting set of shells collected by an amateur between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The shells are classified by size and age either in ...

Category

Early 20th Century French Nautical Objects

Materials

Shell

Set of English Lower Cretaceous Fossil Specimens Collected In Sussex

Set of English Lower Cretaceous Fossil Specimens Collected In Sussex

Set of English Lower Cretaceous Fossil Specimens Collected In Sussex

Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire

A varied set of English Lower Cretaceous fossil specimens collected in Sussex. Ex. private collection of Raymond Henry Wells (1921-1993). This fascinating collection of over fifty ...

Category

Antique 15th Century and Earlier English Prehistoric Natural Specimens

Materials

Natural Fiber