John R Blair Jr
Active Member
Berndorfer WWI shell case silver and copper inlays engraved Islamic motifs
Salutations:
No apologies for lack of participation here at BOCN because as stated before Im an opportunistic ordnance collector; which means I seldom have any thing to offer. So; now to gloat a bit!!! I will do an estate sale IF I see something in the previews, and upon an second or third look through I saw some umbrellas in a stand in a very poor photo that maybe just maybe could be a shell; a VERY large shell with some work done on the surface perhaps. This shell and two others were in the house and the rest is history (pun intended)!
BERNDORF 1911 300 and a very tiny (1/8) crescent(?) moon over a M
56cm - 15.25cm - 17cm
Absolutely slathered head to toe in silver and copper inlays and engraved with Islamic decorative motifs!!!
Any one venture an translation?
Semper fi
John
A Comparative:
http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30082816
This First World War period shell case has been worked into an engraved tobacco jar by Turkish prisoners of war in the Middle East. The body of the jar is made from a British 13 Pounder shell case. The 13 Pounder light field gun was the standard equipment of Royal Horse Artillery. RHA Batteries took part in the campaigns in Sinai and Palestine, and also in the Mesopotamia campaign. This particular shell case serves to highlight the truly world-wide scale of the Great War as the markings on its base indicate that it was produced in Canada in July 1916. Once the shell had been fired, the spent case was evidently passed to a Turkish prisoner possessed of considerable metal-working skills. It is elaborately engraved with Islamic decorative motifs. These consist of two prominent bands encircling the case with, above, below and between them, ornate cartouches containing intricate arabesque motifs and calligraphy. Certain portions of the design are enhanced with an 'inlay' of copper and silver wire. There are some areas where this has fallen away, revealing that these soft metals were simply hammered onto small indentations punched into the brass of the shell case.
History note
Tobacco Jar made from a German cartridge case and decorated by a Turkish prisoner of war.
Salutations:
No apologies for lack of participation here at BOCN because as stated before Im an opportunistic ordnance collector; which means I seldom have any thing to offer. So; now to gloat a bit!!! I will do an estate sale IF I see something in the previews, and upon an second or third look through I saw some umbrellas in a stand in a very poor photo that maybe just maybe could be a shell; a VERY large shell with some work done on the surface perhaps. This shell and two others were in the house and the rest is history (pun intended)!
BERNDORF 1911 300 and a very tiny (1/8) crescent(?) moon over a M
56cm - 15.25cm - 17cm
Absolutely slathered head to toe in silver and copper inlays and engraved with Islamic decorative motifs!!!
Any one venture an translation?
Semper fi
John
A Comparative:
http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30082816
This First World War period shell case has been worked into an engraved tobacco jar by Turkish prisoners of war in the Middle East. The body of the jar is made from a British 13 Pounder shell case. The 13 Pounder light field gun was the standard equipment of Royal Horse Artillery. RHA Batteries took part in the campaigns in Sinai and Palestine, and also in the Mesopotamia campaign. This particular shell case serves to highlight the truly world-wide scale of the Great War as the markings on its base indicate that it was produced in Canada in July 1916. Once the shell had been fired, the spent case was evidently passed to a Turkish prisoner possessed of considerable metal-working skills. It is elaborately engraved with Islamic decorative motifs. These consist of two prominent bands encircling the case with, above, below and between them, ornate cartouches containing intricate arabesque motifs and calligraphy. Certain portions of the design are enhanced with an 'inlay' of copper and silver wire. There are some areas where this has fallen away, revealing that these soft metals were simply hammered onto small indentations punched into the brass of the shell case.
History note
Tobacco Jar made from a German cartridge case and decorated by a Turkish prisoner of war.
