Antique World War I Trench Art Brass 75 MM Artillery Shell. The bottom is  lined and the top crimped in a popular style produced in France, with delicate leaf and vine patterns in the main darkly patinated body. On the base are these inscriptions: "75 DE C SN 643L 17 SG" along with smaller makers marks, indicating the shell was made in France for the 75 MM Canon de Campagne, the main armament of the Western front, in 1917. 

Condition: Cracks in the casing. 

Size: 3 1/4 x 3 1/4 x 13 1/2 in. 

Trench art refers to decorative items crafted by soldiers, prisoners, or civilians using military debris and materials directly linked to armed conflict. Originating during the Napoleonic Wars, the practice peaked in the trenches of World War I (coining the term) and ranges from small personal keepsakes like rings and knives to elaborate, hammered artillery shell casings. Despite skepticism that frontline noise would attract enemy fire, prolonged periods of quiet in the trenches provided troops a crucial creative outlet for nervous energy, and wounded soldiers also engaged in craftwork for rehabilitation. Civilians and prisoners of war similarly used limited resources to fashion inventive pieces, including bullet-casing crucifixes and early vehicle and plane decorations. Following the war, a thriving souvenir market emerged as discarded battlefield debris was recycled into mass-produced tourist memorabilia bearing local town crests that continues to be popular through modern day conflicts. 

Cracks in the casing. 

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