19th Century Framed Tall Sailing Ship Diorama for sale at Pamono

A wonderful tall ship folk art diorama from the mid 19th century in ebonised carved wooden frame. Ship dioramas of this type are sometimes referred to as a sailors shadow box. According to some accounts of naval history and tradition, when a sailor retires and is departing the ship for the last time, it's considered bad luck for the sailor's shadow to touch land before he/she does. Thus, the sailor's shipmates would construct a diorama such as this, thereby symbolically creating a "shadow" of the sailor. The box safely contains the sailor's "shadow" until he/she is safely ashore, at which time the shadow box can be given to the sailor in a presentation ceremony. 42.5 / 17" x 69.5cm / 27"