Lot 153
A bronze Ship's bell, engraved 'Mary Celeste'
Auction: 10 December 2008 at 11:00 GMT
Description
of traditional flared design with moulded top and frieze and weathered iron hoop handle, engraved Mary Celeste in serif capitals, according to family tradition, engraved subsequent to the bell being recovered from breakers, hence its later appearance
Dimensions
28cm high, 20.5cm diameter
Footnote
The Mary Celeste was a brigantine discovered in the Atlantic Ocean unmanned and under sail heading towards the Strait of Gibraltar in 1872. The exact fate of her crew has been since the subject of much speculation, from those based around natural disaster to fictional accounts portraying the vessel as the achetypal ghost ship. Interestingly, though the cargo was intact, the ship's chronometer and sextant were not found on board.
The present lot was formerly the property of a knowledgeable ethnologist and collector active in the 1970s and 80s, however, since his death, the exact provenance of this bell is unclear.
The ship was recovered and used for 12 years by a variety of owners.
In January 1885, in a bungled attempt to claim insurance money, she was loaded with an over-insured cargo of scrap, including boots and cat food, by her last captain, however, the ship refused to sink, having been grounded on the Rochelois Reef in Haiti. The final resting place of the ship has been the subject of some research in recent years but it would appear that even this remains open to debate.