Half giant aquarium lighter
Lucite, reverse intaglio, silver-plated brass
Marked 'Dunhill' to the bridge and 'Made in England' to base
8cm high x 10cm wide

Notes: Dunhill Aquarium Lighters are miniature works of art that first appeared in 1949 and were made until 1959. They were a luxury functional object aimed at the wealthy and notable owners and collectors of Dunhill Aquarium Lighters were Sir Winston Churchill, the IT couple of post-war Britain Norah Docker and husband Sir Bernard, and most recently Timothy Oulton.

The lighters were made from lucite, characterized by its transparency, durability, and resistance to yellowing. The panels that formed the lighters were hand carved with reverse intaglios using dentist tools and drills.

The panels were then painted and applied to the lighters’ bodies in four distinct sections. All the lighters were hand carved and painted so each one is unique. The main artist on many of the early lighters was Ben Shillingford, and later the husband and wife team of Margaret and Allan Bennett. They worked out of their home on the south coast, and were soon producing about a dozen lighters a week. Margaret would send her watercolour and pencil designs to Dunhill for approval, and Allan would then use dentist tools to carve the design, which Margaret would then paint.

The vast majority of designs featured either fresh or salt water fish (never mixing the two), as shown in this example.

Chiswick Auctions holds the world record for a price achieved for a Dunhill Aquarium Lighter at auction,