When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
For your consideration is an original late-20th-century British studio-turned wooden box by Tim Course, circa 1999, measuring approximately 68 mm in diameter by 65 mm high and weighing 68.80 g. The cylindrical body and fitted lid are turned from a pale spalted hardwood, probably beech, with pronounced natural black fungal zone lines running through both the exterior and interior of the timber. The lid is surmounted by a separately turned dark hardwood finial, creating a restrained tonal contrast and giving the otherwise simple cylindrical form a distinctly sculptural presence.
The box is individually lathe-turned throughout, with the body deeply hollowed and the interior formed with a stepped shoulder to receive the fitted lid. The underside of the lid retains concentric turning marks, while the walls and rim preserve the slight irregularities inherent in hand production. The surface has been kept deliberately natural, allowing the spalting, pale cream-to-tan coloration, and dark zone-line figuring to provide the principal decoration. The result is characteristic of late-20th-century British studio woodturning, in which the intrinsic visual qualities of figured and spalted timber were often allowed to determine the aesthetic of the finished object.
Tim Courses work belongs to this studio-craft tradition, and the present box is consistent with other late-1990s turned boxes by the maker, combining compact scale, practical fitted construction, contrasting timbers, and careful control of proportion. The decision to pair the pale spalted body with a darker finial is especially effective, giving the piece a refined visual hierarchy without recourse to carving, inlay, or applied ornament. Its appeal lies in the disciplined geometry of the turning and the natural variation of the wood itself.
The box survives in very good original condition, with light surface wear and handling commensurate with age, while the lid, finial, body, and internal fit remain intact. As an original circa-1999 Tim Course hand-turned spalted hardwood box, it is a refined example of British studio woodturning and late-20th-century craft design, distinguished by strong natural figuring, contrasting timber, and understated workshop execution.
