Oh Buoy... Rare model ship found in loft
A 200-year-old model war ship carved by French prisoners who had served Napoleon has been discovered in a Staffordshire attic.
The remarkable miniature of a British naval ship is expected to fetch up to £5,000 at auction.
The model, dated circa 1800-10 and made from recycled cattle bone and boxwood, was uncovered in a loft in Lichfield.
Charles Hanson, manager of Hansons Auctioneers which is selling the ship, said the war between Napoleon's French navy and the naval forces of King George III of England had lasted so long that the captured French prisoners, some in custody for more than 11 years, found resourceful ways to spend their imprisonment.
He said: " The intricacy of the carving really is superb. The prisoners who made such works of art were not treated like convicts. On the encouragement of their captors, they formed their own guilds to produce small objets d'art to sell in the camp's occasional market which was open to the public."
He said the ship's owners, a retired couple, were delighted to learn its guide price of £3,000-£5,000.
The ship, contained inside a glass and walnut case, is expected to create international interest, particularly from buyers in America and Italy. It will be auctioned on September 27.
