Antique Knotwork Sailor's Cosh ink drawing portrait hands over ears as if

hands over ears as if to block out the sounds of the world

The lid slides on

a missing button on his coat

9 3/4" tall x 8 3/4" wide x 1/2" deep

Northwest Territories and settled in Holman with her family when she was 14 years old

Antique Knotwork Sailor's Cosh ink drawing portrait hands over ears as ifAbout a year ago I found a sailor's cosh similar to this one in the Hudson River Valley, and just returned to the same dealer to purchase this one, which came from the same estate. From what I understand, this exquisitely crafted but brutal object was a sailor's weapon, preferred over the knife, and according to lore was carried by "Press Gangs," who would use them to gather a crew by rendering unsuspecting victims on shore unconscious, only to awake