An Antique Georgian Tobacco Box with the most Darling Recumbent Dog Finial

THE STORY - When I wander through Antique Fairs and markets I have always found myself strangely drawn to these Lead Tobacco Boxes, I think it is the combination of their honest utilitarian purpose married with what I find to be their simple but grand forms. And so when I saw this one at a recent Antiques Fair with that recumbent dog, which I think could possibly be a Spaniel resting on the top of the lid, I knew I had found the one I wanted for my Shop. These Tobacco Boxes were also known as Community Boxes as they were made for the sharing of tobacco. They were popular in the 1700s and the early 1800s which is when I think this box would date to, they had inner lids, which this box like a lot of others has been lost, to compress the tobacco which I imagine would have helped to keep it fresh. The box is octagonal in shape and is very reminiscent in shape to the Tea Caddies one sees from this period and being made from lead it is extremely heavy, but lead is also quite a soft metal and as can be seen hopefully from the photos the lid no longer sits perfectly on its box and is a little misshapen around its rim, although I am certain it is the original lid as it is painted with the same wonderful olive green coloured paint as covers the box. And of course what makes this Tobacco Box so perfect to me is that little dog on top and I absolutely love the fact that through the many years of handling he too has become slightly misshapen with much of his definition lost but there is still I find a wonderful animation to him which I hope you can see from the photos and I really do think he is some kind of Spaniel with his long floppy ears.

AGE - Circa 1810

CONDITION - The Tobacco Box is in good condition considering its age. As I have mentioned above it is missing its inner lid and the outer lid is a little misshapen on its rim so it no longer sits perfectly on the box but it does sit well. The finial of the dog has lost much of its definition I would imagine from the many hands that have held on to it to open the lid. The green paint is missing in some places and the bottom of the box has been painted with a light brown paint which I am unsure is original.

DIMENSIONS (Approx) - Height 5" / 12.5cm, Width 4&1/4" / 11cm, Depth 3&1/4" / 8.5cm

I love the way this box combines being so wonderfully decorative with a real sense of resonance of the past and I have found myself imagining many scenarios where the box would have been most popular and in cheerful use. No wonder that darling dog has lost much of its definition, that lid must constantly on and off for the many fingers diving in for the tobacco it held.