SCRIMSHAW WHALE'S TOOTH DEPICTING THE "BURNING OF MOSCO" Proscenium arches surround a scene of Napoleon on horseback leading his tro..

SCRIMSHAW WHALE'S TOOTH DEPICTING THE "BURNING OF MOSCO" Mid-19th Century

Proscenium arches surround a scene of Napoleon on horseback leading his troops into Moscow, with a fallen horse and soldier in the foreground and buildings afire in the background. Scene wraps nearly around the circumference, save for a narrow vignette on the reverse depicting a sailor standing near an anchor and holding aloft a British flag, with a cluster of suns and stars above. A scalloped, geometric and pique border encircles the base. Deeply engraved and thoroughly detailed. Length 7.25".

The 1812 Fire of Moscow, which destroyed most of the city, broke out September 14. The city had been mostly abandoned as Napoleon's troops marched into it following the Battle of Borodino. Before leaving, Count Rostopchin gave orders to have the Kremlin and major public buildings blown up or set on fire, but the majority of historians now blame most of the fires on Russian sabotage.

The Collection of Paul Vardeman.

Condition: Chip and age cracks/lines at tip. Age lines/cracks at base.

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