Abbotsford Snuff Box, 1829 NM

This is a fine quality castle top snuff box decorated to the cover with a crisp depiction of Abbotsford House - the home of Sir Walter Scott - and contained within a cast shell and scroll frame. The underside has a further raised shell and scroll frame that protects the engine turned base which has a vacant cartouche to the centre. The interior of the box retains its original gilding and the box is in excellent condition throughout with clear hallmarks for the best of the Birmingham box-makers, Nathaniel Mills.

Abbotsford is the house built and lived in by Sir Walter Scott, probably the most well known Scottish author, penning such timeless works as Ivanhoe, Lady of the Lake, Kenilworth, Rob Roy, Waverley and The Heart of Midlothian. He was one of the most popular novelists and poets of the 19th Century. In 1811 Sir Walter bought the property which was to become Abbotsford, set in the heart of the Scottish Borders, on the banks of the River Tweed. The building of Abbotsford took six years, and was completed in 1824. The house was opened to the public in 1833, five months after Sir Walter's death, and has been enjoyed by visitors ever since.