Antique Knotwork Sailor's Cosh ink drawing portrait This is the second of

This is the second of these great brass cheese wedge pen holders I've had in the shop--how not to feel a little happier with this on the desk

a missing button on his coat

to slippers on the rug next to the bed

and the two arches at top

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

Antique Knotwork Sailor's Cosh ink drawing portrait This is the second ofAbout 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