Ships, Folk Art, and Whimsey in Bottles

This is a 1800 Brig built sailing on a choppy sea of green. The ship has two mast and nine sails with the mast sails being square rigged. The sails have both seam lines and reef lines drawn on. The rigging is wonderfully done with both standing and running rigging, with shroud lines and blocks and tackle. A long red banner flies form the top flagpole. The ship has 16 cannons with eight gun ports on each side of the hull. The bowsprit is in two sections and has a dolphin striker. There are many deck features including binnacle, windlass, cabin, hatch and a lifeboat midship. The hull is colorfully painted with brown, black and a wide yellow section that goes from above to just below the gun ports. The bottle is a decanter and is sealed with a cork. The Artist, Henny Fransen, experimented with new techniques and materials in the building of this model.