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ID #SA1235621
FOR SALE
£425
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Steam Ship in a Bottle, Folk Art, English, Diorama C1930
For sale by Robert Belcher Antiques
for sale €497     $540
£425
Robert Belcher Antiques

Robert Belcher Antiques

Sellingantiques Verified Since Jul 2017
Browse dealers 406 items
  • About Us
    Robert belcher antiques was established in 1984 and is a high quality retailer of interesting, rare antiques and decorative items.
Id #SA1235621
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Steam Ship in a Bottle, Folk Art, English, Diorama C1930

1920 - 1940
Description

This good example of an English ship in a bottle is a full diorama. It is set within a square glass spirit bottle and shows a large steamship just off the headland with houses and a lighthouse on a rocky landscape. The sea is quite choppy, and two sailing yachts are racing each other along the side of the ship.

The workmanship and modelling of this unique piece are good, and the view it portrays has a good perspective. The painting is in bright, realistic colours, and the overall condition and clarity of the bottle is excellent.

English, circa 1930

Height 8cm x width 25cm x depth 8cm

Date of Manufacture

Robert Belcher Antiques has dated this Antique Steamship in Bottle to the 1930s.

Independent Date Check ID 09649347
Dealer's Item Date1930s
Sellingantiques Date1930s
Sellingantiques agingItem 70-105 years old
Test ResultsPassed dating check
Why Sellingantiques dated this piece to THE 1930s:
Moulded screw-cap spirit bottle: bottle making from the late 1920s onwards.
Twin-funnel ocean liner design: transatlantic passenger shipping of the interwar years.
Painted putty sea bed: natural shrinkage and separation from the glass interior.
Hand-shaped timber hull and fittings: individual handcrafting rather than commercial assembly.

This is an independent date report produced by Sellingantiques using its own proprietary system. The process uses the photographs shown on this page. The system is never told the date the dealer has declared. This report shows that the two dates corroborate.

Physical Dimensions
Height
8cm (3.15")
Width
25cm (9.84")
Depth
8cm (3.15")
Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1235621
Dealers Notes

Robert Belcher Antiques was established in 1984 and is a high-quality retailer of interesting, rare antiques and decorative objects. After forty years of shop keeping and maintaining beautiful showrooms, which have been regularly open six days a week, Robert and Wendy have now taken a slightly different approach to their business. Having sold their retail premises, the antique business is now fully online. The picture framing service has ceased to operate because of moving online.

You can contact Robert and Wendy by email or telephone to discuss items from their extensive catalogue of attractive pieces and make purchases. Customers can rest assured that the long-established dealership is continuing to run in an exceedingly professional way, selling genuine and high-quality items which are guaranteed to please the most discerning collector, decorator or homeowner.

All items will be personally hand packaged to a high standard. Small items are extensively wrapped using the best materials and are often double boxed. Items are then shipped with DHL or Royal Mail fully insured and often with next day delivery. Larger items would be personally delivered or sent with a specialist antique delivery firm, or for outside the U.K, a professional shipping company.

Please enjoy viewing their collection of rare and interesting pieces and have the assurance that Robert and Wendy will do their utmost to make sure your experience is exceptional, as has been recognised by many customers who have bought with confidence regularly over the years.

Contact details

Email: robertbelcherantiques@gmail.com

Telephone: 01905 622468

Mobile 07929 011224

07720 607007

Website: https://www.robertbelcherantiques.co.uk

Instagram: robertbelcherantiques

Description
This good example of an English ship in a bottle is a full diorama.
“
It is set within a square glass spirit bottle and shows a large steamship just off the headland with houses and a lighthouse on a rocky landscape.
Robert Belcher Antiques

The sea is quite choppy, and two sailing yachts are racing each other along the side of the ship.

fig 1. A horizontal glass bottle containing a handcrafted 1930s steamship diorama with red funnels, a painted blue sea, and a lighthouse background.
fig 1. Steam Ship in a Bottle, Folk Art, English, Diorama C1930

The workmanship and modelling of this unique piece are good, and the view it portrays has a good perspective. The painting is in bright, realistic colours, and the overall condition and clarity of the bottle is excellent.

English, circa 1930

Height 8cm x width 25cm x depth 8cm

Date of Manufacture

Robert Belcher Antiques has dated this Antique Steamship in Bottle to the 1930s.

Independent Date Report ID 09649347
Dealer's Item Date1930s
Sellingantiques dating1930s
Sellingantiques agingItem 70-105 years old
Test ResultsPassed dating check
Why Sellingantiques dated this piece to the 1930s:
Moulded screw-cap spirit bottle: bottle making from the late 1920s onwards.
Twin-funnel ocean liner design: transatlantic passenger shipping of the interwar years.
Painted putty sea bed: natural shrinkage and separation from the glass interior.
Hand-shaped timber hull and fittings: individual handcrafting rather than commercial assembly.

This is an independent date report produced by Sellingantiques using its own proprietary system. The process uses the photographs shown on this page. The system is never told the date the dealer has declared. This report shows that the two dates corroborate.

Height
8cm (3.15")
Width
25cm (9.84")
Depth
8cm (3.15")
Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1235621
Robert Belcher Antiques
Robert Belcher Antiques
Sellingantiques verified Since Jul 2017

Robert belcher antiques was established in 1984 and is a high quality retailer of interesting, rare antiques and decorative items.

Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Robert Belcher Antiques Profile Page

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A horizontal glass bottle containing a handcrafted 1930s steamship diorama with red funnels, a painted blue sea, and a lighthouse background.
1 / 14
Film
Film of Steam Ship in a Bottle, Folk Art, English, Diorama C1930
Archive I A horizontal glass bottle containing a handcrafted 1930s steamship diorama with red funnels, a painted blue sea, and a lighthouse background.

Steam Ship in a Bottle, Folk Art, English, Diorama C1930

Film
Archive II A horizontal glass bottle containing a handcrafted 1930s steamship diorama with red funnels, a painted blue sea, and a lighthouse background. View II
Archive III A horizontal glass bottle containing a handcrafted 1930s steamship diorama with red funnels, a painted blue sea, and a lighthouse background. View III
Archive IV A horizontal glass bottle containing a handcrafted 1930s steamship diorama with red funnels, a painted blue sea, and a lighthouse background. View IV
Archive V A horizontal glass bottle containing a handcrafted 1930s steamship diorama with red funnels, a painted blue sea, and a lighthouse background. View V
Archive VI A horizontal glass bottle containing a handcrafted 1930s steamship diorama with red funnels, a painted blue sea, and a lighthouse background. View VI
Archive VII A horizontal glass bottle containing a handcrafted 1930s steamship diorama with red funnels, a painted blue sea, and a lighthouse background. View VII
Archive VIII A horizontal glass bottle containing a handcrafted 1930s steamship diorama with red funnels, a painted blue sea, and a lighthouse background. View VIII
Archive IX A horizontal glass bottle containing a handcrafted 1930s steamship diorama with red funnels, a painted blue sea, and a lighthouse background. View IX
Archive X A horizontal glass bottle containing a handcrafted 1930s steamship diorama with red funnels, a painted blue sea, and a lighthouse background. View X
Archive XI A horizontal glass bottle containing a handcrafted 1930s steamship diorama with red funnels, a painted blue sea, and a lighthouse background. View XI
Archive XII A horizontal glass bottle containing a handcrafted 1930s steamship diorama with red funnels, a painted blue sea, and a lighthouse background. View XII
Archive XIII A horizontal glass bottle containing a handcrafted 1930s steamship diorama with red funnels, a painted blue sea, and a lighthouse background. View XIII
Enlarged Archival View
Robert Belcher Antiques

Robert Belcher Antiques
Telephone 07929 011224 or 01905 622468
Location
Worcestershire
United Kingdom

By appointment only.
Dealer Profile Page sellingantiques.co.uk/rbelcher
Verified Since Jul 2017
Items For Sale 406
Items Sold 682
Robert Belcher Antiques
Robert Belcher Antiques
Verified Since Jul 2017
View Dealer Info
Location: Worcestershire, United Kingdom, , By appointment only.
Profile: sellingantiques.co.uk/rbelcher
Verified
Jul 2017
For Sale
406
Sold
682
A horizontal glass bottle containing a handcrafted 1930s steamship diorama with red funnels, a painted blue sea, and a lighthouse background.
Steam ship in a bottle, folk art, English, Diorama C1930
Ref: SA1235621
A horizontal glass bottle containing a handcrafted 1930s steamship diorama with red funnels, a painted blue sea, and a lighthouse background.
Film of Steam Ship in a Bottle, Folk Art, English, Diorama C1930
Detail View 1
Detail View 2
Detail View 3
Detail View 4
Detail View 5
Detail View 6
Detail View 7
Detail View 8
Detail View 9
Detail View 10
Detail View 11
Detail View 12
Archival Detail

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Every single antique dealer on our platform is individually approved by our internal team. We verify their professional trade history, ethical standards, and photographic quality to ensure a secure, high-standard buying environment. Upon joining, every dealer agrees to a strict 9-point code of conduct. While issues can occasionally arise, our dealers typically resolve them swiftly and directly with the buyer. In fact, since our founding in 2002, Sellingantiques has only had to step in to help resolve an issue on roughly five occasions—a true testament to the quality of our dealers and their dedication to your happiness.

Secure Transit

Our dealers are highly experienced in packing and shipping fragile, high-value antiques. Because you are in direct contact with the dealer, you will be able to easily go through all available shipping and insurance options together to ensure your item arrives safely.

The Sustainable Choice

Antiques are the ultimate green purchase. By choosing historical pieces over newly manufactured goods, you completely eliminate the carbon footprint of modern mass production while preserving exceptional, timeless craftsmanship.

Cataloguer’s note

Written by Sellingantiques from the dealer’s photographs and listing
  • ObjectShip in a Bottle
  • Period1920 - 1940
  • StyleMaritime Folk Art
  • MaterialGlass, Wood, Paint, Putty
  • ColourClear, Blue, White
  • MotifsSteamship funnels, Miniature lighthouse, Sculpted putty sea, Glass bottle enclosure
  • SizeH 8 cm (3 in) x W 25 cm (10 in) x D 8 cm (3 in)

This English maritime folk art piece from 1930 is a handcrafted diorama enclosed within a horizontal square glass spirit bottle sealed with a black cap. The miniature scene depicts a detailed steamship with two red and white funnels, two yellow masts, and a black hull, positioned alongside two small white sailing yachts on a sculpted blue putty sea with white waves. In the background, a rocky headland supports a small white lighthouse with black bands, alongside tiny painted buildings under a painted blue and white sky. The clear glass vessel rests on its side and measures 8 cm high by 25 cm wide and 8 cm deep. This decorative coastal diorama suits display on a bookshelf, desk, or mantelpiece in a study, living room, or hallway. The item brings nautical character to interior spaces with traditional or maritime themes without requiring any assembly or special maintenance beyond general care for fragile glass items.

FAQs

Ships in bottles emerged as a prominent form of maritime folk art during the 19th and early 20th centuries, created primarily by sailors during long voyages. Artisans constructed detailed vessel models using folding masts that could pass through a narrow neck before being pulled upright inside the glass vessel.

Traditional bottle dioramas utilized offcuts of wood, bone, string, wire, and paper, set into a sculpted base made from putty, plaster, or sealing wax painted to simulate ocean waves. Glass bottles were sourced from spirit, wine, or medicinal containers.

Authentic period examples feature period-appropriate glass with natural inclusions, hand-painted details showing honest wear, and traditional joinery or thread rigging rather than synthetic adhesives or plastics.

A ship in a bottle functions effectively as a coastal accent piece when displayed on open shelving, mantelpieces, or atop a stack of books on an office desk. Combining the glass object with neutral textures balances its distinct folk character.

To preserve a ship in a bottle, dust the exterior glass regularly with a microfiber cloth and keep the piece out of direct sunlight to prevent paint fading or internal glue degradation. Avoid submerging the bottle in water if the cap seal is compromised.
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