Sir Walter Scott interest: A gold mounted desk seal, second quarter 19th century, the hardwood handle with a bust of the novelist carved in the round, the scroll engraved gold mount inset with a hardstone intaglio of irregular pentagon shape, engraved with the novelist’s profile, contained in fitted case, length 8cm. £1,000-£1,500

Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832)

Walter Scott’s fame as a novelist, poet and playwright was widespread during his lifetime and throughout the 19th century. His house, Abbotsford, in the Scottish Borders, picturesquely situated on the banks of the river Tweed near Melrose, was a popular tourist destination and his renown resulted in the production of numerous souvenirs and mementoes.