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‘Sentry’ cigar box, 1890

Price Code: SOLD

Reference: 6417

Richard Simkin (English, 1850 – 1926)

An extremely imposing and very tall oak cigar box, realistically modelled as a Guardsman’s sentry box, the sides and ‘roof’ of slatted construction, with a mellow aged patina to the oak. To the front is a fine watercolour painting of a uniformed Guardsman by the renowned military artist Richard Simkin, set behind an arched bevelled glass panel. The door, with original silver-plated key, unlocks to reveal an interior fitted with four deep drawers for cigars, each with a recessed ‘military’ handle. English, circa 1890.

Height: 21 inches (53 cm)
Width: 8 inches (20 cm)
Depth: 10 inches (25 cm).

Richard Simkin was a prolific British watercolourist, who was employed by the War Office to design recruiting posters for the military, and was also reported to have served as a volunteer in the Artist’s Rifles. During his 50 year career, Simkin produced a large number of paintings of uniformed soldiers and scenes of Army life, used in publications such as The Boy’s Own Magazine and The Army and Navy Gazette, many of the original works being retained by regimental museums and public collections. Simkin’s paintings have featured on a small number of sentry box pieces such as this one, but seldom to this huge scale, and presence – in fact, at 21 inches (53 cm) this is the largest example known.







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