Unusual Artifacts: A Sailor's Valentine

Sailor's Valentine
Shell and wood, 1850-60
The Merseyside Maritime Museum

Here’s a Valentine fit for Olive Oyl.  Traditionally sailors in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries made items like this while aboard ship to give as a gift to their sweethearts and loved ones upon their return home.

These men at sea—who had quite a bit of extra time on their calloused hands—created decorative geometric arrangements of shells within a wooden case which was usually square or octagonal.  Often these tokens included a sentimental  motto such as “forget me not.”

This unusual anchor-shaped example is thought to have been made by a Mr. T. Whelan while in the Caribbean, and dates from between 1840 - 1860.  During the Nineteenth Century, anchor shapes, along with hearts and cupids, were a symbol of love and fidelity.   It is part of the exhibition of Liverpool’s Merseyside Maritime Museum.  

Unusual Artifacts: The Paul Aettinger Nautilus Cup, 1590

Silver Gilt Cup Mimicking Ornamental Nautilus Cups
Paul Aettinger, 1590
The Victoria & Albert Museum

During the second half of the Sixteenth and at the dawn of the Seventeenth Century, ornamental stemmed cups made of Nautilus Shells were popular, luxurious novelties for display in the homes of wealthy gentlemen. The bowls of the cups were made from the shells of sea snails, the Nautilus pompilius—an exotic and rare material which was often fashionably set in silver. Such cups were adorned with a marine motif, typically with figures of sea monsters, mermaids and, often with a finial shaped like Neptune. 

This silver gilt ornamental standing cup, made in Regensburg, Germany and dating to about 1590, is made in the shape of a nautilus shell to mimic those featuring the real thing. The cup’s figural stem takes the form of a female. As was typical, the whole is surmounted by a figure of Neptune with trident and chain. Famed German silversmith Paul Aettinger created this beautiful work of art. 

Unusual Artifacts: The Paul Aettinger Nautilus Cup, 1590

Silver Gilt Cup Mimicking Ornamental Nautilus Cups
Paul Aettinger, 1590
The Victoria & Albert Museum

During the second half of the Sixteenth and at the dawn of the Seventeenth Century, ornamental stemmed cups made of Nautilus Shells were popular, luxurious novelties for display in the homes of wealthy gentlemen. The bowls of the cups were made from the shells of sea snails, the Nautilus pompilius—an exotic and rare material which was often fashionably set in silver. Such cups were adorned with a marine motif, typically with figures of sea monsters, mermaids and, often with a finial shaped like Neptune. 

This silver gilt ornamental standing cup, made in Regensburg, Germany and dating to about 1590, is made in the shape of a nautilus shell to mimic those featuring the real thing. The cup’s figural stem takes the form of a female. As was typical, the whole is surmounted by a figure of Neptune with trident and chain. Famed German silversmith Paul Aettinger created this beautiful work of art. 

Unusual Artifacts: A Sailor's Valentine

Sailor's Valentine
Shell and wood, 1850-60
The Merseyside Maritime Museum

Here’s a Valentine fit for Olive Oyl.  Traditionally sailors in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries made items like this while aboard ship to give as a gift to their sweethearts and loved ones upon their return home.

These men at sea—who had quite a bit of extra time on their calloused hands—created decorative geometric arrangements of shells within a wooden case which was usually square or octagonal.  Often these tokens included a sentimental  motto such as “forget me not.”

This unusual anchor-shaped example is thought to have been made by a Mr. T. Whelan while in the Caribbean, and dates from between 1840 - 1860.  During the Nineteenth Century, anchor shapes, along with hearts and cupids, were a symbol of love and fidelity.   It is part of the exhibition of Liverpool’s Merseyside Maritime Museum.