ARBROATH – AN IMPORTANT SCOTTISH PROVINCIAL SNUFF BOX ANDREW DAVIDSON marked to cover and base, plant, AD, portcullis, of rectangular outline with engraved foliate running border, the central panels with scrolling foliage with script initials WL within cartouche, cast foliate thumb piece, the body with reeded sides, the base similarly engraved as the cover with ivy leaf border and vacant centre, the interior gilt

(6.5cm x 4.3cm, 73.3g)

Note: Although the flatware of Andrew Davidson of Arbroath is well recorded, any work on a larger scale is rare. This snuff box appears to be one of just four larger pieces by his hand to survive. Currently the other three recorded pieces, a goblet, cowrie shell snuff box and pen knife, all reside within museum collections. While it is often tempting to consider rare pieces such as this 'bought in' and only marked by provincial makers (a practice that no doubt happened) the size, proportion and manufacture of this box seems to dismiss this theory. The hand which has made this, skilled no doubt, was not a specialist box maker. Possibly the only piece of Arbroath holloware outside a museum collection and arguably the finest piece by the maker, this box is an important survivor for this Scottish centre of silver production.