Large Secretaire Campaign Chest by Ross of Dublin, last quarter of the 19th Century - Maritime or Military Chest with three long and four small drawers (dovetail construction) plus secretaire case - in two parts - solid oak, maple and other wood, with original brass fittings and drawer handles, secretaire case with leather writing plate - 112 cm (44 in) large, 118 cm (46 1/2 in) high and 50 cm (c. 20 in) deep - maker`s stamps by Ross in the drawers - small repairs, otherwise original condition and Patina - Private Collection Northern Germany

In German: Wertvolle und grosse Maritime Sekretär-Kommode mit drei langen und vier kleinen Schubladen und Sekretärfach - in zwei Teilen - gebaut von E. Ross aus Dublin, Irland im letzten Viertel des 19. Jahrhundert - Eiche, Ahorn und anderes Holz, mit originalen Messing Beschlägen und versenkten Messing Griffen - 112 x 118 x 50 cm - einige Gebrauchsspuren, sonst originaler Zustand und Patina (behutsam restauriert) - Ross war im 19. Jahrhundert der berühmteste Hersteller von sogenannten Campaign Furniture für die Upper Class im Britischen Empire. Jedes Stück wurde individuell für den Kunden angefertigt, zu denen seit 1864 auch H.R.H. the Prince of Wales gehörte. Dementsprechend sind seine qualitativ hochwertigen und ausgefallenen Möbelstücke heute sehr gesucht.

Copeland Parian Porcelain Bust of Admiral Horatio Nelson, England ca. 1865 – showing the British Sea Hero with the honor medal "Nile, 1. August 1798", made of parian porcelain (finely executed) on a wooden socket - 12 1/2 inch (32 cm) cm high - signed/impressed with the mark of Copeland on reverse - one small repair at the left collar edge, otherwise good condition - Maritime Museum Collection, USA

Note: Copeland was the mayor manufacturer of fine quality Parian Porcelain Busts in Victorian England. The Maritime Museum in Greenwich (and other museums) have some of these busts in their collection. The Nelson bust appears not often on the market, obviously a limited number was produced only. For more information about this bust see also the book by Paul Atterbury "The Parian Phenomenon" published by Richard Dennis in 1989.

Huge Brass Harbor Master or "Counting House" Telescope on tripod, ca. 1880 - made from Brass with wooden application on sight end of big tube, with the original mahogony box - extended 160 cm (63 inch) with 8,3 cm (3 1/4 inch) diameter of lens/tube, high 56 cm (22 inch) - by Samuel and Benjamin Solomons (Opticians to the Government, Albermarle Street, Picadilly, London) - in working condition, slight chips at lens in front, traces of use and wear, otherwise fine - the collection of a Maritime Museum, USA

Note: Such huge and impressive examples are offered only very rarely. A wonderful table telescope in its original mahogany case, coming from a notable Notting Hill collection in London. For an explaination of the term Counting House please refer to the illustration page.

Ship Portrait of the British Steamer "Karamania", executed in Oil on an Ostrich Egg, South Africa ca. 1885-90, the egg mounted with a brass feet with leaf decoration and a final mount - Total height 36 cm (14 inch), Diameter of egg 14 cm (5 1/2 inch) - patina at egg and feet, at the (undecorated) back of the egg one older repair, cleaned and small loss of paint in the picture restored, in good condition - Maritime Museum Collection, USA

Note: The British steamship "Karamania" was built in 1883 by D. & W. Henderson in Glasgow, Scotland and owned by Barrow S.S. Co. in Barrow, UK. It was measured at 2045 tons and appears in Lloyds Shipping Registers (TM) from 1885 until 1900. Decorated Ostrich Eggs - originally decorated in the 19th Century with a ship portrait - appears quite rarely on the market. It appears that there was only one or a few artists only in Capetown, South Africa who used this medium. The execution of the painting is ok but does not show an academy or artist background, e.g. such as the Captain`s Cups (porcelain mugs with ship portraits) done in Germany. This can be more considered as a sort of Maritime Folk Art. Nevertheless it is from our opinion an unusual and interesting item for a marine or ship portrait collection, especially because a large number of 19th C. ships stopped at Capetown, but the Captains did rarely bring anything with them from this area.

Rare to find: "Rodney" Cut Crystal Glass Ship`s Decanter, Regency Period (circa 1810-20), lead crystal with a large number of very fine executed and decorative cuts on the glass - Height 23 cm (9 inch), Diameter at the base 16.5 cm (6 1/2 inch) - good condition (slight wear and chips from use), with a round cut glass stopper in the same design - Private Collection Great Britain (UK)

Note: This early type of Ship`s Decanter was named after the British Admiral Rodney who won the battle of St. Vincent in 1780 and captured the Cape of Good Hope for the British Empire. With its broad base design it was built for use on board of a ship so it does not fall over when there was heavy waves moving the vessel. It was the Captains and Admirals of the Navy who mainly used them in their Salon to serve Portwine for guests or at the "Captain`s Table" in general. Additional Note: This piece has been cleaned and is ready for use at your home, your office or on your yacht. This is maybe one of the finest ways to serve a good portwine.

Blown Glass Portwine Ship`s Decanter, mid Victorian Period (circa 1860), large example with a plain design and a broad base - Height 25 cm (10 inch), Diameter at the base 19 cm (7 1/2 inch) - good condition, slight wear from use and limestone inside, with a round stopper in the same design

Note: Ship`s Decanters was in general only produced from 1780 (see note above) until the mid Victorian period. All later pieces are made after these early design and are not original. With its broad base design they was built for use on board of a ship so it does not fall over when there was heavy waves moving the vessel. It was the Captains and Admirals of the Navy who mainly used them in their Salon to serve Portwine for guests or at the "Captain`s Table" in general. Nowadays it is rare to find original pieces like this and this is not only a Collector`s Piece but also a nice decanter for serving purposes.

Cut Crystal Glass Ship`s Decanter, France ca. 1900, lead crystal with a large number of very fine executed and decorative cuts on the glass - Height 25 cm (10 inch), Diameter at the base 19 cm (7 1/2 inch) - good condition (slight wear), complete with cut glass stopper -

In German: Schiffskaraffe bzw. Yachtkaraffe, Frankreich um 1900 - geschliffenes Kristallglas, fein gearbeitet - Höhe insgesamt 25 cm - Druchmesser an der Basis 19 cm - guter Zustand, leichte Kalkablagerungen (nicht sichtbar wenn gefüllt)

Note: With its broad base design it was built for use on board of a ship so it does not fall over when there was heavy waves moving the vessel. It was in the 18th and 19th Century the Captains and Admirals of the Navy who used them first in their Salon to serve Portwine for guests or at the "Captain`s Table" at your home, your office or on your yacht. This is maybe one of the finest ways to serve a good portwine.

North German Lloyd Bremen - Blown and partly Cut Glass Wine Ship`s Carafes, circa 1880-1910, a pair (2), made of blown and partly cut glass - Height 20 cm (8 inch), Diameter 9 cm (3 1/2 inch) - good condition, slight wear from use and slight limestone at bottom - marked under the bottom "Nordd. Lloyd Bremen" - Private Collection, Germany

Note: These Ship`s Carafes from the North German Lloyd Service (who provided mainly Transatlantic Services to Northern America) are typical pieces which were used on the Ocean Liners in the Dining Rooms. For the use today in your home it is nice to have a pair because each piece can be placed on one end of the table - such as you would do it with a pair of candle holders. In contrast to a decanter a carafe for wine do not have a stopper in order to let the (red) wine get air.

Yachts Racing on the Baltic Sea, ca. 1920s or 1930s, a German Yacht is sailing really fast on the open sea and tries to beat the other boat in the background, two sailors are visible on board - marked on the back with the Rosenthal sign and the title "Am Wind, nach Fritz Neumann" - painted on a porcelain plaque - 24 x 32 cm (9 1/2 by 12 5/8 inch) without the frame - excellent condition - in the original and period frame - Private Collection

Note: From the title we learn that this is a composition after a work by Fritz Neumann, a German artist born in 1881. Such yachting porcelain pictures manfactured by Rosenthal appears only very rarely on the market - this is the first I have ever seen in more than ten years worldwide. The execution of the painting is typical for the early Art Deco period and this is in fact a very decorative painting - either for hanging in on a wall at your home or onboard your yacht. As we were told by an Interior Designer this picture fits nice to modern or antique furniture of light wood (eg. Cherry / Pine) or material.

High Quality Half Hull Steamer Model from Russia, early 20th Century (before 1917) - the working model has been constructed with a 13-layer lamination of medium and dark colour Hardwoods (Sandwich Construction). The wood has been carved very carefully and using highest standards. It was fitted for direct hanging on the wall. - dimensions of the model are 120 x 19,5 cm (47 1/4 x 7 3/4 in) and about 11,5 cm (4 1/2 in) deep, weight ca. 10 Kilo - marked on the backside with the Imperial Russian Eagle and the letters "R. N." and no. 12 - cleaned, small areas of wear, light scratches in a few places, small (old) repairs - overwise in good condition and with original patina - Oporto Collection Portugal

Note: This is a typical "pre-construction model" or so called "dockyard model" with was for internal use of the ship designers and builders. This excellent and well crafted Russian model is supposed to be from the St. Petersburg Dockyard, the Eagle with the double head and crown was the sign of Tsar Alexander III and pre-Revolution Russia (before 1917). Unfortunately most of such models got lost or destroyed during the 20th Century, because in earlier times (until ca. 1970) they were often not - as today - considered as interesting and valuable Nautical Artifacts from the Maritime Heritage.

Original Builder`s Half Hull Steamship Model "Agnete", Germany 1894 - the block model carved out of hardwood with added deck details, the funnel and other parts on board, on the original hardwood backboard, inscribed with the Construction Number and Ship`s Name on top and the Builder at the bottom (Howaldtswerke in Kiel, Germany) and dated 1894 with hooks for wall hanging - dimensions overall 148 cm long (58 inch) - cleaned and restored, in good condition and with a nice patina - Oporto Collection Portugal

Note: In contrast to the "pre-construction model" or so called "dockyard model" (for internal use of the ship designers and builders) this is a Presentation Builder`s Model, which was executed as a Present for the buyer of the vessel, in this case the Shipping Company Torm. Such presentation models can usually only be found in the headquarter office of old Shipping Companies - but today also in Maritime Museums and some private collections. Such Presentation Models are considered as interesting and valuable Nautical Artifacts from the Maritime Heritage.

Original Half Hull Steamer Model from Kiel, Germany around 1910 - the block model carved out of limewood with an ebonized area for the screw (between rudder and back of the hull), mounted on a later board of tropical hardwood (looks like rosewood) with supported holes for wall hanging on the back - dimensions of the model are 85 x 10 cm (33 1/2 x 4 in) and about 7 cm (2 3/4 in) deep - with the backboard 92 x 16 cm (36 x 6 1/4 in) - cleaned, four small areas of filled holes at the underside (probably from previous stand mounting), four round lighter areas on the top side, in good condition and with a nice patina - Oporto Collection Portugal

Note: The hull was polished with hardwax to enforce the rich yellow patina and the soft and lightly brilliant surface and finally to protect the model from future environmental influences. This is a typical "pre-construction model" or so called "dockyard model" with was for internal use of the ship designers and builders. Unfortunately most of such models got lost or destroyed during the 20th Century, because in earlier times (until ca. 1970) they were often not - as today - considered as interesting and valuable Nautical Artifacts from the Maritime Heritage.

Half Hull Sailing Ship Model from Northeastern America, ca. 1870-1890 - the working model has been constructed with a 5-layer lamination of dark colour wood (Sandwich Construction). The wood has been carved carefully and there are construction inscriptions on the top and back with numbers, lines etc. The model is mounted on a 20th Century Teak backboard - dimensions of the model are 52 x 7 cm (20 1/2 x 2 3/4 in) and with the backboard 60 x 14 cm (24 x 5 1/2 inch) - cleaned, small areas of wear and loss in beginning of the hull, light scratches in a few places - overall in good condition and with original patina, ready to hang - Oporto Collection Portugal

Beckets for a seaman`s chest from Nova Scotia, Maritime Canada - partly painted wood - 19th Century - Private Collection Northern America

Note: While the use of carved hands as beckets is not uncommon, this 19th century pair is particularly well done with notch carving, heart shaped ends and geometric floral motifs. Some have said they were by Micmac Indians, but a similar pair is attributed to Capt John Baker from Ostrea Lake on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia, c. 1880. They were found in their original paint without the sailor's rope work which would have gone through the side for lifting the sea chest.

Imperial German Navy - Presentation Officer`s Sword (Sabre), 1890, made of steel, bronze and other materials, partly gilted, sword with Lion`s Head (two red eyes) and blade richly engraved with sailing ship, canons, ornaments etc. - Length ca. 92 cm (36 inch) - with the Imperial Naval Sign (anchor and crown) - wear due of age otherwise good to very good condition, presentation use only (not sharp) - Private Collection

Note: This is an early and rare example of an Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) Sword. In contrast to the British and French Naval swords, German examples are comparable rare (since our Imperial Navy existed only until 1918). This items comes directly from the family of the Officer therefore it can be dated so exactly as being an early one from 1890.

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An pair of rare French Shells with the Portrait of two-funnel Steamers, ca. 1890, steamer and sea is painted in oil color - Length of shells is 16 cm (6 1/4 inch) - with mounting for wall hanging - slight wear, otherwise good condition - Museum Collection USA

Note: A remarkable piece of French Maritime Folk Art.

Ex Voto Ship Portrait "PCR Naufragio del Barco Dalmato detto "Teresa" tutti si salvarono per Grazia Divina" dated 7 Lugno 1894 - ship wreck or the Dalmatian Bark "Teresa" where all men was saved to the grace of Mary - inscribed with title and dated - Oil on panel (probably a piece from the vessel, without undercoat) - 27 x 46 cm (10 1/2 by 18 inch) - original condition - Provenance: Private Collection, formerly acquired in Venice, Italy

Note: Ex Voto paintings were common Maritime Folk Art in the Catholic Southern European countries, most of these pieces are still in the families of the seafarers or in churches of harbor cities.

Large Half Hull Sailing Yacht Model "Merkur" from Europe, 1920s - the working model has been constructed with 8 layers of pitchpine in a sandwich construction, including a hardwood piece for the keel and plus an additional hardwood piece for the rudder. The upper sign part has been worked out with hardwood veneer. There are several layers of old varnish on the wood and the hull shows a nice surface with patina. Surface is light glossy. This builder`s model is mounted on a period veneered Oak backboard - dimensions of the model are 85 x 15 x 9 cm (33 1/2 x 6 in) and with the backboard 109 x 33,5 cm (43 x 13 inch) - Private Collection, Sweden

Provenance: This impressive sailing yacht model came from a wealthy Anglo-German family and has been designed either in Germany or Great Britain.

rare Mahogony Half Hull Sailing Yacht Model from England, 1920s - the working model has been constructed with approx. 12 planks on a frame construction plus additional solid pieces for the keel and rudder. The lower, unterwater part of the hull is in a dark red color (paint restored). There are several layers of old varnish on the visible Mahogony wood (upper part of the hull above the waterline) which also include the cabin house and cockpit (all in original surface with patina). This display model is mounted on the original ebonized Pine backboard - dimensions of the model are 75 x 16 x 9 cm (29 1/2 x 6 3/8 in) and with the backboard 88 x 25 cm (34 5/8 x 10 inch) - in good condition - Oporto Collection Portugal

Medium size Half Hull Sailing Yacht Model "Salamiss" from England, 1920s - the working model has been constructed with planks on a frame and different sections of the construction are marked with different numbers and letters. The deck and mast have been worked out separately and in good detail, including the cabin and mast. The hull shows a few areas with repairs and there are signs of age, eg. scratches in the backboard. Surface is light glossy. This builder`s model is mounted on the original original solid and heavy walnut backboard and the original printing of the name of the Yacht can be found lower right - dimensions of the model are 62 x 14 x 8 cm (24 1/2 x 5 1/2 in) and with backboard 77 x 27 cm (30 x 11 in) - Private Collection

A double Sailor`s Valentine with seashells, Barbados ca. 1865 – with the message "Home Sweet Home", in wooden boxes - 9 inch (23 cm) - for more information see description on the illustration page - Private Collection

Note: These Valentine shells are typical Folk Art, brought back to America, England or the Continent by Seafarers in the 19th Century.

Captains Document Case - Reise-Dokumentensekretär eines Offziers oder Kapitäns, ca. 1860-1870, Mahagoni, mit zahlreichen Messing-Applikationen und zwei versenkten Messing-Griffen, Breite 38 cm, Länge 33 cm (bzw. aufgeklappt 65 cm), Höhe 21 cm, Gebrauchs- und Altersspuren, Schloss ausgetauscht, mit Schlüssel - Private Collection, Portugal

Bemerkung: Während die (kleineren) Schreibsekretäre in dieser Form bei fast jedem Offzier bzw. Kapitän an Bord üblich waren, sind solche größeren Exemplaren - sehr selten.

Nautical Instruments - Antique Yacht Binoculars by Iris de Paris, 1880-1910 - completely made of brass and glass - signed on the right "Marque Iris de Paris - Qualite Garantie" and marked on the left "Nautique" with an Anchor sign below - cleaned and in working condition, bumps from use on board - nice patina - complete with the original case (case shows strong wear). Dimensions of the Binoculars are 16 x 14 cm (6 1/2 x 5 1/2 in) fully extended it is 7 cm (2 3/4 inch) deep - Private Collection Paris, France

Note: The most used Yacht Binoculars on the Continent around the Turn of the Century were those by Iris and its competitor Lemaire, both from Paris. Several other makers have produced binoculars as well of cause, but beauty and a special model for Yachting and Marine can only be found from these two French Makers. This item is suitable for display in your living room, in an office and also for today use on board of a yacht.

British Captain`s Chair from a Ship, Queen Anne Style, Mahogany, ca. 1870 - solid mahogany - good and original condition - Private Collection Belgium

Note: Typical for such a maritime chair is the mounting in the lower section. Click on the image to see a larger illustration.

Captain`s Porcelain Cup with a painted Portrait of the Danish Bark *Otto* in choppy seas ca. 1860 - the vessel is shown under reduced sails on the open sea - Porcelain Cup with Saucer and Silver Spoon - the cup 9,2 cm (3 1/2 in) high and diameter of 11,5 cm (4 1/2 in), the saucer with diameter of 16,5 cm (6 1/2 in), total high of cup and saucer 10,5 cm (4 1/4 in) - inscribed on the feet of cup "Otto" and signed at reverse bottom "J.G. Hauthal" - original condition as preserved by the Captain`s family, gilting at upper margins partial rubbed, cleaned, no repair or repaint - date 1860 on saucer - The Baltic Sea Collection

Note: The Saucer is marked on reverse bottom with the maker`s sign TPM. Hauthal was a well known porcelain painter from Hamburg, who obviously also sometimes co-operated with the Petersen/Holm artists. We suppose the painting and the cup have been made during the same visit of Capt. Ahlmann in Hamburg. This would also explain the different view of the ship under reduced sails. Click here or on the image to see larger illustrations.