Ships, Folk Art, and Whimsey in Bottles

This extraordinary scene of the crucifixion with many religious symbols was built well over 100 years ago. It has an exceptionally carved figure of Jesus on the cross wearing a deep blue loin cloth. The facial details are and body proportions are amazingly well done. Above the head of Jesus is a plaque with "INRE" written in pencil. The cross has decoratively carved ends with three points. In front of the cross is a carved tree stump with a wonderful roster perched on top. In front of that is a chalice and three dice. On one side of the cross is a long slender pole with a delicately carved lantern, and a spear and small axe. On the other side is an identical lantern, a sponge on a long pole, and a small hammer. On the backside of the cross is a pair of pliers and a pick. There is a ladder with 9 rungs leaning against the back of the cross. The base has four ends with each resting on a carved ball. The bottle is sealed with a wooden stopper with a removable wooden crosspiece. On the bottom on the stopper inside the bottle is the year "1895," the year this bottle was made. The top is dome shaped and is painted copper color. As wonderful as the carvings are inside the bottle, the custom made and chip carved stand is equally impressive. The stand including the back and legs is a made from thin wood scrolled into a decorative shape. In the top of the stand is a hole which allows the bottle to be hung on a wall. Affixed to the thin wood back are wonderful chip carved base and top that cradles the bottle. Coming up the sides are identical chip carvings encasing the back portion of the bottle. The stand and carvings are painted in a copper color. The back behind the bottle is painted in relief with the letters "R.R." shown in script. Perhaps these are the initials of the artist.