Shell commemorating Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson's battles

C H Woodc 1851

Australian National Maritime Museum
Sydney, Australia

This nautilus shell commemorates Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson's battles at Cape St Vincent (1797), the Nile (1798), Copenhagen (1801) and Trafalgar (1805). It was executed in the scrimshaw technique and features odes to Nelson, and the allegorical figures of Britannia and Fame. C H Wood is considered a fine exponent of the art of scrimshaw as applied to shells.

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Details

Title: Shell commemorating Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson's battles
Creator: C H Wood
Date: c 1851, c 1851
Location: England
Type: Engraved nautilus shell
Significance: This decorative shell is a tribute to Nelson’s lifetime of achievements and impact on naval and civilian society and culture in the 18th and 19th centuries. He is arguably the most recognised British naval hero and a common figure on commemorative items.
See institution's online collections: http://www.anmm.gov.au/collections, http://www.anmm.gov.au/collections
Medium: Shell
Dimensions: 215 x 185 x 60 mm, 0.3 kg
Credit line: ANMM Collection

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