Carved cowrie shell commemorating the launch of the ss Great Eastern, 31 January 1858.
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Object number2014.03798
TitleCarved cowrie shell commemorating the launch of the ss Great Eastern, 31 January 1858.
DescriptionMedium sized brown and white mottled cowrie shell, painted on the curved top of the shell with a side profile of the Great Eastern at sea and 'The Great Eastern Stm Ship, Launched Jany 31st 1858' written underneath. With four funnels, 6 masts, and the side paddle wheel. The shell has a crack around some of the top.
Object namecowrie shell
Object categorydecorative art
Materialshell
Techniqueengraved
Dimensions
- length: 95 mm
width: 60 mm
Credit line“Accepted under the Cultural Gifts Scheme by HM Government from Clive Richards OBE DL and allocated to the ss Great Britain Trust, 2017”