Original French WWI Trench Art M1874 Gras Bayonet Trivet As Featured In The Book “Trench Art, An Illustrated History” by Jane Kimball on Page 195 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. Trench art is any decorative item made by soldiers, prisoners of war, or civilians where the manufacture is directly linked to armed conflict or its consequences. It offers an insight not only to their feelings and emotions about the war, but also their surroundings and the materials they had available to them.

Not limited to the World Wars, the history of trench art spans conflicts from the Napoleonic Wars to the present day. Although the practice flourished during World War I, the term ‘trench art’ is also used to describe souvenirs manufactured by service personnel during World War II. Some items manufactured by soldiers, prisoners of war or civilians during earlier conflicts have been retrospectively described as trench art.

Reference books are an essential part of any collector’s knowledge and growth in their particular field of interest. The 2004 book “Trench Art, An Illustrated History” by Jane Kimball is a comprehensive study of Trench Art and does a wonderful job in presenting the historical context of trench art throughout history. The book covers about 400 pages and includes hundreds of illustrations as well as mountains of primary source material and original photographs that document the evolution, styles and construction of the trench art genre. This trivet is found on page 195.

A trivet is an object placed between a serving dish or bowl, and a dining table, usually to protect the table from heat damage. Whilst tri- means three, and -vet comes from -ped, meaning ‘foot’ / ‘feet’, trivets often have four ‘feet’, and some trivets, including many wooden trivets, have no ‘feet’ at all.

Trivet also refers to a tripod used to elevate pots from the coals of an open fire (the word trivet itself ultimately comes from Latin tripes meaning “tripod”). Metal trivets are often tripod-like structures with three legs to support the trivet horizontally to hold the dish or pot above the table surface. These are often included with modern non-electric pressure cookers. A trivet may often contain a receptacle for a candle that can be lit to keep food warm.

The caption from the page is a lovely description: “Trivet made from three bayonet handles attached to a piece of flat brass. 6 ½ in. high by 8 ½ in. wide.”

The 3 bayonet hilts were taken from French M1874 Gras Bayonets. The M1874 was a conversion of the M1866 Chassepot design that enabled use of the 11.15 x 59 mm. centerfire cartridge. The M1874 rifle is referred to as the Gras, after the French Army officer who developed the conversion, Colonel Basile Gras.

A lovely item ready for display or even use!