This highly decorative match holder was made in England from African Blackwood around 1850-1900. Ornamental turnery was a popular pastime in the late Victorian period and many small trinkets were produced mainly from hard woods such as blackwood and ebony. They were turned on an ornamental turning lathe. This differed from the traditional treadle lathe as it was the tools which rotated rather than the work. This meant that it was much easier to add decorative flourishes to work and often tended to lead to overly fussy and complicated designs.