Rare Victorian Erotic Puzzle Coffin
English, mid to late 19th century
Carved from English oak and bearing the sombre hue of age, this diminutive coffin houses a singular obscenity hidden in funereal disguise. Concealed within its compact form lies a jointed figure of the departed, neatly stowed in a secreted compartment. One feature alone, with a touch of mischief and mechanism, may be encouraged to stand.
Find the Stiff 'Un
Beneath the swivelling coffin lid, a handwritten label in ancient ink offers a single instruction: “Find the stiff 'un”.
The jest is unmistakable.
The puzzle lies not in opening the box, but in uncovering the deceased within and, through a hidden trick, awakening his last remaining vigour.
Such artefacts reside at the intersection of mourning and mirth, crafted perhaps as a private amusement, a parlour provocation, or a grotesque token exchanged in secret. The mechanism, though simple, is precise. The carved figure bears the faintest blush of pigment, as though time itself had not quite erased its embarrassment.
Exceptionally Rare
Whether the work of a mariner, a Napoleonic prisoner of war, or a craftsman of sardonic inclination, its purpose is clear. This is an object made to disarm, to amuse, and to disturb. Its humour is as black as pitch, its construction exacting, its survival extraordinary.
An authentic curiosity. Rare, indecent, and utterly unforgettable.
