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A rare Napoleonic prisoner-of-war working bone model of a guillotine, early 19th century, image 1
A rare Napoleonic prisoner-of-war working bone model of a guillotine, early 19th century, image 2
A rare Napoleonic prisoner-of-war working bone model of a guillotine, early 19th century, image 3
A rare Napoleonic prisoner-of-war working bone model of a guillotine, early 19th century, image 4
A rare Napoleonic prisoner-of-war working bone model of a guillotine, early 19th century, image 5
A rare Napoleonic prisoner-of-war working bone model of a guillotine, early 19th century, image 6
A rare Napoleonic prisoner-of-war working bone model of a guillotine, early 19th century, image 7
Lot 1

A rare Napoleonic prisoner-of-war working bone model of a guillotine,
early 19th century,

Napoleon Bonaparte: The British Sale
27 October 2021, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

£8,000 - £12,000

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A rare Napoleonic prisoner-of-war working bone model of a guillotine, early 19th century,

The carved bone five tier platform framework connected by steps with working guillotine and prisoner with two detachable heads, complete with polychromed and articulated figures including an officer, a drummer, four soldiers and executioner, the whole structure raised on four later turned wood feet,
41cm x 25.5cm x 20cm

Footnotes

One particular talented French prisoner of war who specialised in making model guillotines was named Cruchet who initially worked on French fishing vessels before being conscripted into the French Navy. His service came to an abrupt end when his ship, L'Intrepede, was captured in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and he and the rest of the crew were taken to the large prison near Peterborough, Norman Cross. Cruchet was known for his automata groups such as "Spinning Jennys" as well as the Guillotine which appealed to the Englishman's morbid fascination with the French Revolution and the "Reign of Terror". Cruchet was also a maker of ship models and he reputedly made a fine model - probably with retractable guns - which was purchased by the Prince Regent.

Literature:
Clive Lloyd, The Arts and Crafts of Napoleonic and American Prisoners of War 1756-1816, ACC, Woodbridge, 2007.

Additional information

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Original Superman 'Flying Costume' from the 1978 film 'Superman: The Movie', worn by American actor Christopher Reeve (1952-2004) in the flying scenes of the motion picture. Consisting of red wool cape with sewn-on logo, blue nylon top with sewn-on logo, blue nylon pants, yellow plastic belt and red leather boots. Also included is documentation regarding ownership history, unopened copy of the film (DVD), CD-ROM with catalogue material from Christie's, New York, July 2001, where the costume was last sold, and a color photograph of Christopher Reeve in one of the film's flying scenes. Zip waistband with the costume workshop's handwritten name, 'Nathans-Bermans CR [Christopher Reeve] Fly' ('Bermans & Nathans Ltd', London). The inside of the boots are labelled in pen, 'CR R 4' and 'CR L 4' for Christopher Reeve respectively. Both boot shafts also have remnants of sewn-on fabric labels on the inside. (14 items in total).

DKK800,000 - DKK1,000,000