A Charles II silver tobacco box

A Charles II silver tobacco box,

maker's mark BB, a crescent and two pellets below, London 1673,

oval form, the cover engraved with an armorial and crest, the underside engraved 'R.C and an earlier date 1663, length 8.9cm, approx. weight 3.4oz.

The arms are those of Cann of Compton Greenfield, Gloucestershire, baronets, for Sir John Cann, 1st Bt. He was a leading merchant of Bristol, who also owned property in Jamaica. He was twice mayor of Bristol, 1662-3 and 1675-76. He went on to be an MP for the city.

Provenance: The Lion Collection, entry number 10.

Illustrated and written up in Culme, J., British Silver Boxes,1640-1840, The Lion Collection, The Antique Collectors' Club, 2015, page 39.

Sotheby's, New York, 11 April 2000, lot 233.