A Very Fine Engraved Turban Shell, Engraved by James Sexton of Bromley and Associated with the Great Eastern Steamship and the 1862 International Exhibition

This finely engraved and inked shell is particularly well executed and depicts both a portrait of the Great Eastern steamship, along with her vital statistics, very much in the manner of similar pieces signed by Charles Wood, and, on one end, a view of the 1862 International Exhibition building.This shell is unusual in being both signed and dedicated. The inscription on the piece reads as follows:

‘This shell is most respectfully presented (to) Thomas Schofield Esq. as a mark of grateful respect by R. A. Sanders’

in a fine cartouche, next to which is the line

‘Jas. Sexton Sculpt., 17 Bath Place’.

This is intriguing as our research has only uncovered one other shell associated with James Sexton. This latter example is in the collection of the Castlemaine Museum in Australia and is catalogued here

https://collection.castlemaineartmuseum.org.au/objects/2833

We are very pleased to say that a direct result of our discovery has been the recataloguing of this latter shell and a blog on the subject being written on Sexton and his work which draws upon our research.

We cannot find any direct mentions of a James Sexton at the relevant address in the newspapers. Most of the 19th century references to 17 Bath Place relate to the location of the famous optician to the royal family James Smith. One of his trade cards in the Science Museum collection

https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co8015944/trade-card-j-smith

advertises Smith’s new ‘Compound Engraver’s Glasses’, essentially magnifying glasses to be worn about the person and useful for engraver’s work. In theory, however, Smith had moved out of this address by the time the present shell was engraved and so, despite the tantalising possibility of Smith’s engraving glasses being used to engrave the present piece, this seems unlikely.

There is only one direct reference to James Sexton in the newspapers that we have been able to discover and this tells us that, in 1868, he titled himself ‘shell engraver’ and lived in Bromley. According to a report in the South London Press on the 27th of June 1868, Sexton was called as an expert witness on behalf of the well known carver and gilder William John Villars of Southwark. Villars had been asked to frame two painted shell pictures by a James Smith of 49 Great Percy Street, Clerkenwell and these pictures were stolen from Villars’ shop. There was then some dispute as to their value and, indeed, whether they were painted or engraved and Villars called as his expert witness James Sexton.

Given that Villars’ manufactory was in Bath Street, Southwark, and given his obvious relationship with Sexton, it is tempting to think that 17 Bath Place might also have been in the same part of London

https://bifmo.furniturehistorysociety.org/entry/villars-william-john-son-1851-1885

The two names in the presentation cartouche are also difficult to identify with complete certainty. Searching the newspapers for the 1860s produces some interesting results for Thomas Schofield which may be relevant. One Thomas Schofield was a very well-known auctioneer of ships, based in London’s east end.

It is tempting given the maritime connection to assume that he was the recipient of the shell but this must remain speculative at this stage. R. A. Sanders has not been identified at all at this stage sadly.

The Great Eastern

At 692 feet in length, the Great Eastern was by some distance the largest ship ever built at the time of her launch in 1859. She had enough capacity to carry 4000 passengers at one time and could carry enough fuel to ensure that she did not need to stop to refuel even when travelling from to and from Australia and England. The vessel had the largest paddle wheels ever constructed at that time and, unusually, five funnels. As such she was highly recognisable and became an iconic vessel immediately upon her launch.