A large and fine bone prisoner-of war of the second rate ship-of-the-line "Union", English by French Napoleonic Prisoners of War, circa 1810,

the pinned and planked bone hull interspaced with strakes of horn either side of the metal guns and red painted gun ports and baring two anchors, the edge of the top of the hull is overlaid with strips of bone delicately carved with leaves and geometric shapes, the rim of the hull surmounted with carved squat female figures, the hull also bares a simple stairway from the top deck, the fore, main and aft masts all with standing and running rigging and with single boxwood rowing boat hanging between the fore and main masts complete with bone oars, with finely and elaborately carved stern and quarter galleries, the stern carved with single gallery with handrail and carving of English trophies notably the Union Jack and coronet, the bottom half of the stern with finely carved columns and the ship's name 'WNIONI' (UNION) flanked by reclining figures above carved scroll leaf border from which hang preventer chains, the quarter galleries with fluted columns and consistently carved balustrades above a flower spray border, the bow of the ship also heavily carved with delicate swag border duplicated hanging from the companionways, terminates in a protruding carved lions (?) head, the bow sprit displays a twin dolphin catcher, the pinned and planked bone deck with numerous details including ship's bell, capstan, ladders, fire buckets, barrels and anchor and flying the white ensign with companionways decorated with carved swag borders and flower heads, the entire model mounted on a stand fitted onto an oval display board contained and within a glazed display cabinet. 

This fine and unusually large model was made by French Prisoners-of-war during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars between 1793-1815, however we can date this model to circa 1810 becasue of the inclusion of the twin dolphin catcher mounted from the bow sprot which was introduced around this date.  During the Napoloeonic wars these captured seamen were confined to hulks in the naval dockyards, crammed together with nothing to do for months and years on end, trying their hands at handicrafts to augment thier living standards and relieve their boredom.  The materials used were beef or mutton bones - the remains of prisioner's minimal daily rations of meat.  As seamen began to sell their handicrafts at local markets, they could afford more expensive materials such as horn, wood, baleen and ivory.  These models were sold by the prisioners at local markets held in the prisons under the strict surveillance of the wardens and authorities, as well as buying other materials, prisoners would use the monies to buy clothes and food.

One of the things that makes Prisoner-of-war models so fascinating is their unique quality - no two models are exactly alike.  Models vary considerably in their quality and whilst some models are rather naively carved, others of which this model is an example, are beautifully and skillfully carved.

Ewart C. Freeston Prisoner-of-war models 1775-1825, Oxford 1973