Ships, Folk Art, and Whimsey in Bottles

The LIVADIJA was a state yacht of the Russian tsars. Completed in 1880, the round ship was a radical innovation in boatbuilding. But already during the maiden voyage it became apparent that the flat bottom was susceptible to damage from wave action, and it was also very difficult to keep on course. Tsar Alexander III had no interest in maintaining such a ship. So in 1881, all the luxuries were removed and the engines dismantled. This unusual ship was brought to the decanter in a series of individual parts. The wide hull was dismantled into five large segments, and all the superstructures were added one after the other, making a total of 20 individual parts.