Anton Fortuijn (1880-1967)
The turtle
Dimensions: 9 x 10 x 10 cm
Special: text on the bottom: 'Wood from the bombed abbey in Middelburg'

Anton Fortuin was born in Amsterdam on June 23, 1880. He attended the Evening Drawing School in Amsterdam and later the Academy in Ghent. He lived and worked in Amsterdam and had a studio on the Prinsengracht. Here he started making woodcuts for the Mail ships to the East. This studio quickly became too small and he moved to Prinsengracht 1083, a former warehouse. During its heyday, about 10 to 20 sculptors, woodworkers and other helpers worked there to create the massive amount of decorations and interiors for ships. The interiors were stylish in shape and finely designed.