AUGUSTE DELAHERCHE (1857-1940) Grace Darling Norwege... Lot 3

AUGUSTE DELAHERCHE (1857-1940) Grace Darling Norwege 18[3]8, very probably one of a kind Exceptional circular commemorative hanging dish. Polychrome enameled stoneware proof. The base is decorated with the Forfarshire steamer, with different thicknesses of enamel. The wing is decorated with a frieze of animal scenes featuring rodents, seals, fish, a bear, cetaceans and seagulls. The border features protuberance motifs and is marked Grace Darling Norwege 18[3]8. Signed with the DELAHERCHE escutcheon (interlaced letters) on the reverse. Diameter: 39.5cm Grace Darling (1815-1842), a heroic lighthouse keeper Daughter of a lighthouse keeper, Grace Darling was born in Bamburgh, a small coastal village in northeast England. Her parents moved from the mainland to Brownsman Island, in the Farne Islands archipelago, and she grew up surrounded by her eight brothers and sisters - in an island life where the sea was omnipresent. Father William (1786-1865) took his children boating between the islands, and it was on these outings that Grace learned to row and steer a boat from an early age. In January 1926, the family moved to a newly built lighthouse on the islet of Longstone Rock. The Forfarshire was a steamship built in 1834 to provide a weekly link across the North Sea coast from Hull in Yorkshire to Dundee in Scotland. Steamships were beginning to develop in the 1830s, but boiler technology was still in its infancy, and accidents were very common. In the early evening of Wednesday, September 5, 1838, the Forfarshire left Hull with some 60 passengers on board. After a few hours, she reached the open sea, which began to get rough, and during the night one of the boilers took on water. The crew carried out repairs, but the next day the problems persisted, to such an extent that on the evening of September 6, Captain John Humble was forced to hoist the sails. The Forfarshire was now level with the Farne Islands archipelago. By this time, the weather was changing rapidly, with strong northerly winds battering the ship - she began to drift, the boilers no longer exerting enough pressure to keep her on course. At around 1am on September 7, the captain decided to turn back and seek shelter, but the storm intensified. In pouring rain and in the dark of night, sailing became increasingly difficult and the boat struck Big Harcar Rock, about a mile from Longstone lighthouse. The Forfarshire split in two and began to capsize. As day breaks, Grace sees the wreck in the distance and informs her father. Together, they decide to go and look for survivors. With the storm still raging, they can't use the lifeboat, so they launch a rowing boat. Defying the swell and spray, they arrive at the rock, and Grace has to keep the canoe steady while her father gets the survivors aboard. They succeed and save several lives. The news spreads far and wide in England, and Grace becomes a national heroine, distinguished by her courage and determination.