Victorian Bronze Match Striker Sculpture and Holder, Cavalier with Mortar, 1860

Details

Description

Modelled in full round, this desk match striker depicts an English Civil War cavalier standing poised beside an artillery mortar. … Read more Modelled in full round, this desk match striker depicts an English Civil War cavalier standing poised beside an artillery mortar. The soldier is dressed in typical mid-seventeenth-century attire, complete with a wide-brimmed plumed hat, broad falling collar, belted tunic, and tall bucket-top riding boots. His right fist is pierced through to hold a single upright match, while his left arm extends outwards in an assertive command gesture. Beside him, the short-barrelled mortar functions as a spill or match container, angled upwards to hold matchsticks within easy reach. The heavy cast carriage wheels feature pronounced reeded rims designed specifically as striking surfaces for friction matches. Across the textured ground beneath, sculpted details include a resting cannonball and an abandoned broadsword lying amid trampled earth. The piece is assembled from separate cast bronze components mounted to an irregular naturalistic plinth, secured on the underside by slotted machine screws into tapped lugs. A crisp British registration diamond mark is cast into the upper rear rim of the base, confirming the design was registered in Britain around 1860 during the height of the Victorian taste for romanticised historical novelties. The bronze retains an attractive dark patinated finish with softened brassy highlights to the raised relief, consistent with light handling over time. Measuring 13 cm in height, the piece combines the functional weight of cast metal with miniature figurative detail, serving as both a practical hearthside accessory and a decorative desk bronze. See less