Finely Carved Coconut Snuff Bottle – William Tell Crossbowman – Early 19th Century

The Story:
According to legend, in 1307, the legendary crossbowman William Tell refused to salute the hat that the equally legendary bailiff Hermann Gessler had placed atop a maypole in the village square as a sign of the authority of the House of Habsburg. In response, Gessler ordered Tell to shoot an arrow at an apple on the head of his son, Walter. Tell took two arrows from his quiver and managed to pierce the apple with one of them. When Gessler asked him what the second arrow was for, Tell replied that it was for the bailiff if he had killed his son. He was then arrested. While being transferred by boat across Lake Lucerne to prison, a storm broke out, and Tell managed to escape. He fled to Küssnacht and, on the sunken road of Küssnacht am Rigi, killed the hated bailiff with a crossbow shot. The nut: A unique nut finely worked on all sides, a true collector's item among this type of snuffboxes. Beautiful color and patina. Two parts of the city can be seen in the background, William Tell near a tree, the flagpole with the hat, a gallows on a tower, and further left, William Tell's son. An impressive artistic piece.

Dimensions:
Height: 8.5 cm
Width: 4.5 cm

Very good condition, note: two small holes between William and his crossbow, fine crack to the left of the gallows, no stopper.

Thank you for visiting my shop, with love and regards, Ben