Original German WWII Era Trench Art Brass Battleship Turret Desk Piece

Original Item. Only One Available. Trench art is any decorative item made by soldiers, prisoners of war, or civilians where the manufacture is directly linked to armed conflict or its consequences. It offers an insight not only to their feelings and emotions about the war, but also their surroundings and the materials they had available to them.

Not limited to the World Wars, the history of trench art spans conflicts from the Napoleonic Wars to the present day. Although the practice flourished during World War I, the term 'trench art' is also used to describe souvenirs manufactured by service personnel during World War II. Some items manufactured by soldiers, prisoners of war or civilians during earlier conflicts have been retrospectively described as trench art.

This is a great piece of trench art, a German battleship turret made from the brass of artillery shells and other battlefield pieces. The turret rotates, and has a screw hole on top which looks to be connected to a hole in the back of the turret. The details of this piece are quite lovely, including the steps up to the gun and the small ladder on one side. The bottom of the piece is felt-padded, so this would be a fantastic piece to complement your desk at work.

The piece measures roughly 8 x 2 ½ x 4 ¼”. There isn’t much visible damage, and the piece shows good age overall. 

Ready to display!