French warship, 80 guns

Scale: Unknown. A contemporary full hull model of a French two-decker 80-gun warship fully rigged and mounted on its original marquetry wooden baseboard. The underside of the hull has been sheathed with a formed copper sheet, whilst the upper works and wales include materials such as wood, horn, and brass for the cannons. On deck, the model is highly detailed and has an unusually large range of fittings. Of particular interest are the triangular shot garlands between the guns and the portable fire extinguisher. The carved decoration is very finely done along the bulwark screens, the stern and quarter galleries as well as the traditional classical warrior figurehead. During the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1793-1815), large numbers of French prisoners were housed in open prisons throughout Britain. To help pass the time and generate a small income, they would turn their hand to making a variety of objects including ship models. Materials such as bone, wood, horn, brass, silk, straw and glass were available and often these items were produced by a team of inmates each specialising in a particular area. Typically, the models were not made to scale as accurate scale plans were not available and tools were limited. To realise a good price at market, the models were often named after famous ships of the time, whilst some models included spring-loaded guns operated by cords.

Original size: Overall: 370 mm x 387 mm x 173 mm