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| Portrait Snuff Box Silver Gilt head of Admiral Lord Nelson on a base of oak from HMS Bellerophon English, 1805 Bequeathed by Joseph Bond to The Victoria & Albert Museum |
Military and naval heroes were frequently commemorated on snuffboxes starting from the mid-Eighteenth century. This box is made with a shield, on the reverse, which was crafted from the oak of HMS 'Bellerophon', one of Admiral Lord Nelson's ships. The wood is set in gilt silver and the top of the box features a portrait head in silver gilt of Admiral Lord Nelson in a heroic Roman style. He likes a bit like some lost Caesar.
This example, dating to 1805, is one of the earliest examples of the market for souvenirs of the celebrated naval hero.
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