Ships, Folk Art, and Whimsey in Bottles

This is an amazing whimsey craft built in a small medicine bottle with a delightful vignette of pots (carved fan bases) with fans built on two levels. The carvings are very intricate, the scene finely executed, and it fills the contents of the bottle in a delightful way. There is a base carved to fit the contours of the bottom of the bottle. Mounted on this base are two very small and full fans mounted to the base. Above these fans is another base near mid-bottle. Mounted to this base are two more, even smaller fans with a much larger fan in the center. There are red and blue dotted paint decorations on the fan bases and edges. The bottle is sealed with a cork also painted with the red and blue paint scheme. The date 1899 is clearly painted on the bottom with decorative flourishes between the 18 and 99. This bottle came from a New England estate.