A finely carved and turned wooden reading pointer / page turner, attributed to a Boer prisoner-of-war held at Ceylon, in 1902.
A length of 21 cm.
Fashioned from a dark wood and features a turned and spiral-carved central section, with a long, tapered, rounded end. The pointed end is rounded rather than formed as a flat blade, suggesting that the object was intended as a reading or page pointer rather than a conventional paper knife.
The piece is inscribed CEYLON 1902 and BOEREN KAMP, providing a direct association with the Boer prisoners held in Ceylon following the Anglo-Boer War. Prisoners produced a wide variety of finely worked wooden souvenirs and useful objects, including page turners and other desk accessories.
