- Home
- Decor
- Room Accents & Accessories
- Decorative Objects
- Antique English Trench Art Miniature Signal Canon…
Or save it to favorites and we'll tell you if this item goes on sale!
- Get the Chairish App
- to view in your space
Antique English Trench Art Miniature Signal Canon Sculpture
- Get the Chairish App
- to view in your space
Details
Description
Antique English Trench Art mixed metal miniature howitzer - signal style table cannon. Hand-crafted, assembled in the early 20th century, …
more
Antique English Trench Art mixed metal miniature howitzer - signal style table cannon. Hand-crafted, assembled in the early 20th century, fashioned in part from spent shell casings, older brass, bronze, and copper elements, including a heavy brass barrel embellished with sculpted rails, applied stars and decorative studs, engraved "WORLD," with interlocking initials "VZ," and various original markings; seated in an ornate openwork frame decorated with Bacchanal putti, trailing grapevines, wine casks, engraved on one side "Victoria," opposite side engraved "God Save the Queen," rolling on large pierced metal wheels, flanking central gilt bronze ormolu Bacchus mask mount.
A truly superb specimen, very large size, high level of quality, and unusually decorative design, it makes for a fascinating sculptural object, interesting historical work, and one-of-a-kind conversational piece, sure to appeal to a variety of collectors, including militaria, world history, military folk art, especially WWI and WWII, 19th century Victorian era decorative art and antique statue, small scale weapon models, and more.
Dimensions: (approx)
21" Long, 11.5" High, 5.25" Wide, 8lbs
The definition of what exactly can be counted as trench art varies, but it is widely accepted to center on World War I, where soldiers in the stretching, brutal battles created art with the remnants of war. Despite its name, trench art wasn’t usually done right in the muddy trenches, but rather after or by wounded soldiers, or often by prisoners of war. Yet no matter the point where it was made, whether right on the battlefield or in a hospital or in a prison, when trench art left conflict it gradually became this anonymously created, tangible memory of violence that can fade into history as quickly as it can destroy.
Trench art is a term used to describe objects made from the debris and by-products of modern warfare. Trench Art is typically associated with the First World War, although similar items have been produced in numerous other conflicts.
Most trench art was made by servicemen to pass the time when not in the front line. While much of it was simple and amateur, the production of some examples required metalworking skills or even workshop facilities. Prisoners of war (POW), faced with a constant battle against boredom, were also known to produce these items.
Later, other examples of trench art were also made by local civilians for sale to soldiers. This manufacture often drew upon traditional local crafts, such as metalworking or lace-making. Despite the danger from these potentially deadly items, many civilians would collect debris from battlefields to transform into souvenirs out of necessity to survive and produce what little income they could in their war ravaged homeland.
Most every military museum has some trench art as a curio in its collection, but there’s recently been a move away from treating it as an oddity and towards using it as insight into the experience and processing of war through art.
You might expect lots of bombastic, patriotic imagery in trench art, but it actually tended to be the opposite.
“It is one of the ironies of metal trench art, and decorated bullet cases in particular, that most were decorated with pastoral motifs such as flowers, leaves, and romanticized images of women typical of the Art Nouveau style which had flourished since the 1890s.” Nicholas J. Saunders wrote in the 2011 edition of his Trench Art: Materialities and Memories of War
Most of it has a surprising elegance, and while it may not have been the intention of the soldiers, it gives an odd reminder that these weapons are in the end just materials, and can by human hands can be formed into both instruments of death and objects of beauty.
less
- Dimensions
- 21ʺW × 5.5ʺD × 11.5ʺH
- Period
- Early 20th Century
- Item Type
- Vintage, Antique or Pre-owned
- Materials
- Brass
- Bronze
- Copper
- Condition
- Good Condition, Original Condition Unaltered, Some Imperfections
- Color
- Brass
- Condition Notes
- Good antique condition Good antique condition less
Need more product details?
Shipping Options
Standard Returns & Cancellations
Return Policy - All sales are final 48 hours after delivery, unless otherwise specified in the description of the product.
Extended Return for Trade
- Expands return window for trade members to 14 days (12 days more than our standard return policy)
- Trade member to notify Chairish of intent to return within 14 days of item delivery
- Buyer refunded item cost. Buyer pays return shipping cost
- Does not apply to damages that occur post-delivery
Questions about the item?
Related Collections
- Uttermost Decorative Objects
- Hourglasses
- Murano Glass Sommerso Decorative Objects
- Unlacquered Brass Finish Decorative Objects
- Gold-Plate Decorative Objects
- Louis Vuitton Decorative Objects
- Rose Quartz Decorative Objects
- Louis XIII Decorative Objects
- Mackenzie Childs Decorative Objects
- SIN Decorative Objects
- De Sarreguemines Decorative Objects
- Decorative Stone Fruit
- AVeM Italy Decorative Objects
- V. Nason and Co. Decorative Objects
- Gerrit Rietveld Decorative Objects
- Eames Decorative Objects
- Mikasa Decorative Objects
- Diamond Decorative Objects
- Glass Fruit
- Quartz Decorative Objects
- Gumps Decorative Objects
- Melamine Decorative Objects
- Hubley Manufacturing Company Decorative Objects
- Bill Curry and Design Line Decorative Objects
- Woodcut Decorative Objects
Returns
- Does not arrive
- Is broken during transit
- Is entirely different than what you purchased
- Some made-to-order items and a limited selection of other items (noted as non-refundable in the returns and cancellations section of the product description)
-
Orders where Free Local Pickup or Seller Managed Local Delivery were selected:
- Upon inspection, If you decide not to move forward with the purchase, you or your agent must refuse the item at the time of pickup/delivery from the seller
- Once you have taken possession of the item, all sales are final
- International, cross-border returns may require different processes depending on the countries between which the item is shipping to/from, and the buyer is responsible and duties (if applicable, on cross-border orders).
- On approved returns, the buyer is responsible for the full cost of return packing and shipping.
Cancellations
- Prior to shipping or local pickup, buyers may cancel an order for any reason, with the exception of some Made-to-Order items, where supplies have been purchased or work begun on the item.
- Please notify us within 24 hours of purchase if you would like to cancel an order, as prompt cancellation will reduce the likelihood that you will incur return shipping charges.
- Once shipping or pickup has been initiated, the cancellation will be considered a return and you will be responsible for the cost of shipping.
Shipping
Note: Made-to-Order items typically include a lead time or custom delivery window that is added to the delivery time.
- Chairish Express In-Home Delivery
- Chairish Express In-Home deliveries are currently only offered for international cross-border shipments.
- The item will be delivered to your home and placed in the desired room. The delivery service includes unpacking, inspecting, and removing packaging materials; and does not include installation or setting up the item.
- Shipping charges start at $999 and vary based on the size, weight, packaging, and/or the value of the item.
- Deliveries can take anywhere from 6 to 9 weeks to be delivered.
- Chairish Freight Delivery
- Delivered in a crate, to your front door.
- You will need tools and/or equipment to open the crate.
- Shipping charges start at $799 and vary based on the size, weight, packaging, and/or the value of the item.
- Chairish Freight deliveries can take anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks.
- Only available in selected markets.
- Chairish In-Home Delivery
- The item will be delivered to your home and placed in the desired room. The delivery service includes unpacking, inspecting, and removing packaging materials; and does not include installation or setting up the item.
-
Shipping charges start at $149 and based on the size and the distance between pickup and delivery
(for approximate values see table):
Delivery Type Within 50 miles radius Within 1,500 miles radius Over 1,500 miles radius International Cross-Border Shipping Price $149 - $299 $199 - $799 $449 - $899 Over $899 Transit Time 2 to 4 weeks 3 to 6 weeks 4 to 8 weeks 12 to 17 weeks - For some items, the shipping price may vary depending on the size, weight, material and/or value of the item.
- Free Local Pickup
- Local pickup allows customers to inspect an item at the time of pickup and avoid shipping costs.
- Following purchase, a confirmation email is sent to the email address associated with the order, and includes: Pickup Verification & Seller's contact information
- Please contact the seller within 5 days to coordinate pickup
- Once the item has been picked up (by you or your representative) it cannot be returned or refunded.
- Free Shipping
- Free shipping may be offered on select listings.
- Smaller items are typically delivered within 2 weeks of the purchase date, while larger items and furniture may take up to 6 weeks for delivery.
- When an item with Free Shipping is returned, the cost of return shipping fees will be charged to the buyer.
- Parcel Delivery
- Shipment is arranged through recognized carriers such as UPS, FedEx, and DHL.
- Only pieces that can be safely packed in a box or envelope may be shipped via parcel.
- Shipping charges start at $9 — and vary based on the size, weight, packaging and the value of the item.
Delivery Type US Domestic International Cross-Border Shipping Price $9 - $99 $39 - $499 Transit Time 1 to 2 weeks 2 to 4 weeks - Seller Managed Delivery
- Shipping is offered and managed by the seller, through a shipper of the seller’s choice.
- Available on items at the seller’s discretion.
- Seller Managed Local Delivery
- Local curbside delivery is offered and managed by the seller, within a limited geography.
- Following purchase, a confirmation email is sent to the confirmation email address associated with the order, and includes: Pickup Verification Code & Seller’s contact information
- Please contact the seller within 5 days to coordinate delivery.
The Chairish Buyer Guarantee
Make an Offer
Fees and shipping costs will be calculated in the next step
Have questions about how offers work? Learn more or .