Ships, Folk Art, and Whimsey in Bottles

This is a very well built model by Otto Palmen of the 1958 version of the Bark, Gorch Fock II. This Bark was built largely identical to the 1933 model of the first Gorch Fock. This ship is used as a training ship for the German Navy. It has three masts and 22 sails flying. There is both standing and running rigging with shrouds and ratlines. The bottle is sealed with a cork covered with red sealing wax with the outline of a ship in bottle and the initials "OP" which stand for the artist, Otto Palmen. The ship rests on a wooden plinth with the ships name on a plaque.