a superb ship in a bottle made by a german merchant navy sailor held captive on the isle of man probably at camp knockaloe in 1917. the ship in a bottle depicts a four masted ship with a carved wooden black handpainted hull, carved wooden masts and spars, cotton thread rigging and flying a black white and red paper tricolor known as the flag of the german empire or the imperial flag, styled sailing on a deep blue clay sea with a painted clay harbour hill townscape behind, with handpainted wooden buildings, lighthouse, windmill, church with steeple, cottages. tiny pebbles have also been set into the hillside along with carved wooden trees. the ship is sailing past a red maker bouy and is being escorted into harbour by a small carved wooden tug.following on behind is a carved wooden steam drifter with a white heart painted on the funnel. During the First World War, fishing boats featuring a white painted heart on their funnels belonged to the " cardigan " fleet of steam trawlers owned by h.l reddit operating primarily out of hull and fleetwood, england. a label has been set in the neck of the bottle which reads ... " fur errinerungan mein kriegsgefangenschaf isel man 1917 " ... the english translation is " For memories of my time as a prisoner of war on the island of Man, 1917 ". the whole scene is set in a clear glass rum or whiskey bottle and is presented on a simple wooden stand.
the ship in bottle measures 300mmm long and 75mm diameter at the base.
knockaloe camp isle of man was a huge world war 1 internment camp for civilians, Operating from 1914 to 1919 near Peel, isle of man, it held up to 24,000 "enemy aliens", predominantly German and Austro-Hungarian men.
the ship in bottle as folkart is probably, unfairly the greatest cliche of maritime folk art and as such is often overlooked. the amount of skill , artistry and maritime knowledge can not be underestimated in each creation. sculpting ships in bottles became fashionable in the 19th century ,helped by the introduction of mass produced clear glass bottles, an explosion in maritime trade and the desire to bring home a token , souvenir of travel on the high seas. the genuine sailor art form continued into the early 20th century when finally it fell out of fashion with mariners. an original sailor made ship in bottle served as a poignant reminder of the magnificence of both – the vessels and the maritime domain. the ship in bottle was often given as a token of love or endearment. it would have held pride of place in a loved ones home. ships in bottles in their heyday were solely the creations of sailors. to own a ship in a bottle would portray to the onlooker that the custodian was associated with an adventurer, a world explorer who would ride the tempest and all that neptune and his sirens could conjure, to get safely back to his love. it would also serve as a message in a bottle to any of the artists maritime peers that when it came to the sea and who ever may sail , that he really knew what he was talking about.
