A brown Bakelite Vitascope 'Isle of man' clock with ship…
click the photo to enlarge
A brown Bakelite Vitascope 'Isle of man' clock with ship diorama. Height 33 cm

You must be a subscriber, and be logged in to view price and dealer details.

Subscribe Now to view actual auction price for this item

When you subscribe, you have the option of setting the currency in which to display prices to $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

This item has been sold, and the description, image and price are for reference purposes only.
  • Bakelite - Bakelite was the first completely synthetic man-made substance. Bakelite was invented in 1909 by an independent New York chemist Leo H. Baekeland. It was called the "material of a thousand uses" and used to make everything from car parts to jewellery.

    Although nearly all plastic from this period is known as ?Bakelite', it is important to remember that this is an umbrella term that covers many different early plastics such as Lucite and cellulose acetate, and includes Bakelite.

    We often think of the colour of Bakelite items as dark brown, but it was manufactured in various colours including yellow, butterscotch, red, green and brown.

    Bakelite could also be transparent, or marbleised by mixing two colours. Plastics were cheap to produce and could be moulded or carved in a huge variety of ways.

    Bakelite is most commonly associated with radio cases of the 1930s, telephones and kitchen utensils, but it was also used extensively in jewellery manufacture.

    Early designs from the 1920s were plainer and simpler than later examples. Geometric and floral patterns typical of Art Deco styling were popular.

    During its heyday in the 1930s, Bakelite jewellery was stocked by the most prestigious stores, such as Saks, Harrods and Macy?s, who dedicated a shop window display to it in 1935.

    Coco Chanel featured Bakelite items in her accessories collection and the material was praised frequently in Vogue magazine.

    Manufacture of some consumer Items were suspended in 1942 in order to concentrate manufacturing on the war effort.

    Small items made of Bakelite are now valuable collectables. Andy Warhol was an avid collector, and when he died in 1987, his pieces sold for record prices at Sotheby's.
  • Diorama - When used in relation to antiques and collectables, a diorama is a three dimensional display, usually within a domed or rectangular glass case.

    As the feathers of birds are more easily damaged than the skin of an animal, most taxidermied birds are displayed within a glazed diorama. The birds will be set in lifelike poses in a naturalistic landscape, usually standing a branch within the diorama. Animals will be displayed set in the landscape they inhabit. The foreground will be set with gravel, rocks and bushes, while the background will be painted.

    While most natural history dioramas can be easily picked up and carried by one person, some larger examples were made that were suitable for display at exhibitions.

    The other type of diorama commonly seen is a model ship enclosed in a rectangular glass box, the ship depicted floating on the sea.

This item has been included into following indexes:

Visually similar items

Vintage Bakelite novelty clock with floating ship diorama, English circa 1950.

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

Art Deco Vitascope electric clock in bakelite case, rocking ship and colour changing ship, in working order, 32 cm high

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

Airzone, Australia 1937, model 520/550 'Radiostar', 5 valves, upright Bakelite table cabinet with original knob (distressed condition)

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

Stromberg Carlson Bakelite radio. Model 4A17, c1940. Intact case. Original unrestored condition. Length 31 cm

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.