Description
Rare Napoleonic Prisoner of War Games box, containing full set of dominoes, twenty four carved fish counters & single dice, all concealed by two sliding bone covers with delicately carved scrolling wafer thin bone flowers which replicate the two ends of the games box. Its interior shows the dominoes in the central compartment with four concealed bone flaps with faded water coloured paintings of a lady on one side and Soldiers the other.
These boxes were made by Prisoners of War aboard ships or who were held captive in England between 1800 & 1815 during the campaign against Napoleon. Thousands of prisoners were held captive in prisons & prison ships which were docked around the english coast. As the War continued many of the prisoners were allowed to use their skills to make items with waste materials such as animal bone to make small items that can be taken to sell at local market towns.
