Polly Cornthwaite
Senior Cataloguer
Lot 7*
A Napoleonic 'Prisoner Of War' Bone Model Of A First Rate Ship Of The Line, French, Early 19th century, 13 1/2in x 18in x 9in (34.5cm x 46cm x 23.5cm)
25 – 26 October 2022, 14:00 BST
London, KnightsbridgeSold for £10,200 inc. premium
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Rhyanon Demery
Head of Sale
A Napoleonic 'Prisoner Of War' Bone Model Of A First Rate Ship Of The Line, French, Early 19th century,
the pinned and planked hull with horn whales, three decks with 112 guns, carved figurehead, planked decking with carved deck details, pierced hammock netting, three masts with standing and running rigging and ship's boats slung out between fore and main masts, galleried stern, mounted on rectangular parquetry base and in modern glazed display case,
13 1/2in x 18in x 9in (34.5cm x 46cm x 23.5cm)
13 1/2in x 18in x 9in (34.5cm x 46cm x 23.5cm)
Footnotes
Ship models, gaming pieces and automata were made by French prisoners of war during the First Coalition and the Napoleonic Wars (1792-1815). The models were mainly made from the leftover beef bones on their plates. The prisoners were interned on de-rigged war ships, so-called Hulks, which were anchored off the south coast of England or in prisons such as Norman's Cross near Peterborough and Princetown in Devon. Prisoners were allowed to attend local markets to sell these wares and used the proceeds to supplement their meagre food rations.