Burnell and Rowe

Description

This is an interesting and attractive French Trench Art Vase made from a World War One brass shell case. The vase has AISNE on one side and a depiction of a three flowered poppy on the other with a bark effect background all around. The top of the vase has been stretched out and cut into a sequence of petals.

The vase stands 26.1cm / 10.3ins high, it is 8.5cm / 3.3ins across the base and 12.3cm / 4.8ins across the top. It weighs 1.035kg / 36.5oz.

There were three Battles of the Aisne during World War One, the second of them in April and May 1917 being the most famous and significant. They were fought for control of the strategic Chemin des Dames ridge above the River Aisne between Reims and Soissons in the French sector of the Western Front. Although the second battle in 1917 forced the German army back from the ridge, the French casualties were enormous and this led to mutinies in the French army and the dismissal of the French commander Robert Nivelles.

The vase is made from a French brass shell case for a 75mm Field Gun, which is dated 1916.

The vase is clearly handmade and with considerable skill. It is fully watertight, so perfectly usable as a vase for flowers if desired. The petals around the top of the vase are not quite even and there are some tiny splits between them. There is old dried brass polish in some of the bark effect around the body of the vase, but this could be removed with careful cleaning.

The marks on the bottom of the vase give details of the shell it is made from. 75 DE C stands for Canon 75 de Campagne, or 75mm Field Gun. A.TE stands for Atelier de Fabrication de Toulouse or Toulouse Arms Factory, where the shell was made. The number 16 shows that it was made in 1916.

Shipping in the UK is £8 by Hermes Tracked & Signed Courier.
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