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A fine and large model of a Thames wherry

Offered by: Wick Antiques LTD

Description
A fine and large model of a Thames wherry. This planked model of a Thames pleasure boat is made of mahogany with copper pins. There is a broad passenger seat behind four thwarts, two of which are adjacent to oar locks set into the saxboard. The two oars have metal tips and leather collars. The bow has a brass rubbing strake with a fleur-de-lys attachment and two padded cushions for a small seat, while the stern is fitted with a yoke tiller on a working rudder. The model is raised on two brass supports on a mahogany double cruciform stand. English, circa 1885.

Open rowing boats have been a commonplace feature on the River Thames for hundreds of years as passenger wherries. However, the Victorians, and later the Edwardians, developed a passion for boating as a leisure activity, as shown in the famous painting of Boulters Lock on a Sunday afternoon by Edward John Gregory. 800 boats and 72 steam launches passed through Boulter’s Lock on a single Sunday in 1888. Punts and rowing skiffs were the preserve of the more athletic enthusiasts, with Henley Reach hosting the first race between Oxford and Cambridge in 1829 and the First Henley Regatta a decade later. We have silver rowing scull trophies on pages 62-63 and some glass slides of the Regatta of 1907 in Sir Harold Dudley Clayton’s collection on pages 26-27.

More Information

Origin:	England
Period:	19th Century
Materials:	Mahogany
Condition:	Good.
Creation Date:	Circa 1885
Styles / Movements:	Traditional
Incollect Reference #:	736523

Dimensions

W.	50 in;	H.	7 in;
W.	127 cm;	H.	17.78 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