Dunhill, the Aquarium Lighter Collection

Dunhill aquarium lighters are true pieces of art and craftsmanship, each of them being unique as they were handcrafted by skillful craftsmen. These lighters come in three different sizes : the giant, used as a table lighter, the half giant, the standard size and a smaller model called the “service” size which is the rarest one. Among the notable clients of Dunhill were aristocrats, businessmen or politicians such as Sir Winston Churchill who owned and also gifted Dunhill aquarium lighters.

Even though smoking is not a widespread habit anymore among our society, compared to several decades ago, the demand for such pieces didn’t fade over time and collectors are still fighting to purchase these pieces when they appear on the market.

Dunhill
An extremely rare 'Aquarium' Humidor
Sold for £40,960 inc. premium
© Bonhams

These lighters are made from lucite, an alternative material to glass developed during world war II that later became used in various artist workshops and studios.Each scene on these aquarium lighters is unique, hand crafted by Ben Shillingford who worked for Dunhill in the 1950s, carving and painting on these lucite panels to depict miniature aquariums.

Dunhill
Aquarium Lighter, 1950s
Sold for $4,080 inc. premium
© Bonhams

The aspect of lucite provides to these lighter an impression of movement, making the submarine life even more realistic.The lucite panels were hand carved with reverse intaglios using dental tools and drills. Shillingford was later joined by the team of Margaret and Allan Bennett who established their studio on the British south coast.

Margaret was in charge responsible for the watercolour and pencil work while Allan was responsible for the panel carving once their designs proposal had been approved by Dunhill.

In 2023, to celebrate Dunhill's 130th anniversary, a couple of their Aquarium table lighters, handcrafted by veteran craftsmen with several decades of experience, showing how important and notable this collection is for the brand.

Dunhill
“Aquarium” table lighter 130 years anniversary, 2023
Retail price : €10,300
© Dunhill

These aquarium lighters do not always depict fishes and sometimes models displaying sea birds pop up on the market, much rarer than sealife pieces they usually fetch high prices, sometimes exceeding 10,000£.

Even more rare, are the humidor from this collection, constructed of intaglio carved lucite panels attached to a cedar wood core. Only a handful of pieces are known to the public and one (mentioned above) recently appeared at auction at Bonhams which sold for above £40,000.