A very fine example with nice details and in good condition for its age. Very few Napoleonic Prisoner of War models were made this large, making this one of very few examples we have come across at this scale. Highlights of the model include detailed pierced carving on the quarter and stern galleries, contrasting accents, and additional carved detail at the ship's bow and figurehead. A launch sits above the open gallery at the model's center with many well-carved flourishes and decorations. The model is set atop a two-tiered base with fine inlay work.
With 114 cannons on her decks, this ship would be classified as a First Rate Ship of the Line, so named for side-by-side form of combat when these ships met in battle. The supreme sailing warships of their age, British Ships-of-the-Line, were classified by the number of cannons they carried. Fewer than 18 in service at any point carried 100 guns or more to earn the first-rate designation.
Considered a pinnacle artform of the ship modeling craft, bone ships made by prisoners during the Napoleonic Wars are among the most collectible maritime artifacts and are a specialty of our gallery.
From the very beginning, when the first French prisoner in the British prisons of the Napoleonic Wars started making these models in 1794, they were prized at the highest levels. The level of detail and craftsmanship achieved in such low conditions is extraordinary, and even the admirals of the period who brought these models into their own homes knew it. Poor carving tools, with simple materials like the bones from their meals and the straw from their mattresses or off the floor, and no plans to work from- only memory.
The finest models would garner prisoners the best rewards in money or favors. Over time, the masterworks of this craft have made their way into the finest collections all over the world. No substantial maritime museum would be complete without a model such as this in their collections, and they have graced the private collections of Presidents and heads of state.
Like most of the prisoner-made models, this is of a British ship to favor the British officers or guards who were the prisoner's main clientele.
