NAVIGATION

‘Bugbear’ coconut flasks were often carved by sailors on long sea voyages who had visited the Tropics and collected the ‘green’ nuts. Easier to carve whilst still young and fresh ‘bugbears’ have been collected originating from Mexico, South and North America, the French Polynesian Islands and Europe. French prisoners of war would carve them with a depiction of the Emperor Napoleon. This example is carved with pastoral Spanish colonial scenes with vines, a lion mask terminal and bug bear spout. It was probably once used as a shot flask for a gun.