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A carved boxwood prisoner of war battleship snuff box

Offered by: Wick Antiques LTD

Description
A carved boxwood prisoner of war battleship snuff box. This small snuff box is carved in the form of a 112-gun ship of the line with a removable quarterdeck. The bow is naively carved with a female figurehead. The captain’s cabin in the stern has two large arched windows and ornate wooden struts with carved bands. It stands on two small splayed legs. French, circa 1800.

As England won naval victory after naval victory in the Napoleonic Wars, the ever increasing number of prisoners became a problem. Many were kept in floating hulks anchored in the harbours of Portsmouth, Plymouth and the Medway with 900 men to a ship. Others went to prisons at Norman Cross in Huntingdonshire and Dartmoor. One of the most striking things about certain of these prisoners was that, though conditions were very rough, they managed to make beautiful objects from bone, wood and straw, which they were allowed to sell. They made playing cards, dominoes and dice, snuff boxes, trinket boxes, houses, miniature guns and gun carriages, models of the guillotine and the Spinning Jenny with moving figures. Perhaps the prisoners’ finest achievements were their beautiful model ships with accurate rigging, decks and guns. (See the following pages for a superb example of such a ship.)

More Information

Origin:	England
Period:	19th Century
Materials:	Boxwood
Condition:	Good.
Creation Date:	Circa 1800
Styles / Movements:	Traditional
Incollect Reference #:	736521

Dimensions

W.	6.5 in;	H.	2.25 in;	D.	1.5 in;
W.	16.51 cm;	H.	5.72 cm;	D.	3.81 cm;

Message from Seller:

Wick Antiques was established by Charles Wallrock in the early 1980s. Having grown up in the Antiques world Charles developed an extensive wealth of knowledge. Starting out as a ‘man with a van’ he quickly gained a good reputation and embarked on a longstanding relationship with Harrods. He was later joined by his wife, Caroline Wallrock. Caroline having completed a Persian degree, went on to study at Christie’s fine art and then joined Sotheby’s specializing in Islamic and Japanese works of art