Ancient German nautilus

Nautilus – Germany – 1800s – Engraved real shell.

We have talked several times about the boredom of sailors on ships: films and books tell of extraordinary adventures, frightening dangers, but do not sufficiently describe the deadly boredom of long voyages for sailors.

So how do you keep yourself busy, without necessarily having to break the law on board to have fun? For example, creating boats in bottles, sculpting walrus teeth, warding off the future by drawing votive offerings or, as in our case, engraving shells.

This antiquity is an engraved nautilus, depicting a marine monster (maybe female) from the Wunderkammer we are emptying.

Germany, around 19th Century, perfect condition.

For collectors.