Kenilworth Snuff Box, London 1853

All aspects of this mid-Victorian snuff box scream "Quality". The base of the box is engraved with a beautiful romanticised rural landscape with the ruins of Kenilworth Castle in the background. The top and sides of the box are decorated with architectural scrolls, ribbons and floral bouquets with the central cartouche remaining free of personalised engravings. The interior of the box retains its original gilding and in fact looks as though it has barely ever been used. The box is contained within an expertly made presentation case which has preserved the condition in an "as new" state - the engraving is superbly crisp throughout.

The box was made by a London silversmith, rather than a specialist Birmingham box maker and the differences are quite stark. The box appears to have been lovingly hand-made with close attention to every detail, the hinge is a real joy. it has a good hefty weight and rarely have we seen such masterful engraving. A truly fabulous snuff box.

The massive keep of Kenilworth Castle was built during the1120's. The castle was further fortified by King John between 1210 and 1215, which enabled the occupants to hold out for an epic siege against the army of Henry III in 1266. The greatest period of fame for the castle came during the reign of Elizabeth I when one of her favourites - Robert Dudley, turned the castle in to a great Renaissance "prodigy house". The celebrated Scottish novelist Walter Scott wrote a novel about the decaying castle in 1821 entitled "Kenilworth" ensuring the popularity of Kenilworth Castle for tourists during the 19th century.