Chapter 7 - Selecting A Masterpiece

I have selected the five ships illustrated for the final phase of model building, because they represent different periods of construction and are all famous.

None of them present any major building problems to an experienced modeler because complete details are available.

Final selection should be made by the modeler himself, not because of the ship's historical significance or her performance, but because of the value you will place upon her upon completion.

Each one of them presents a challenge to your skill and craftsmanship. All are quaint and beautiful and could be collectors' pieces for generations to come.

Bermuda News Bureau
Sea Venture

Selecting A Masterpiece

This lesson on model shipbuilding has little to do with the mechanics of actual construction. If the student has mastered the intricacies of clipper ships with their elaborate rigging, the rest is pure craftsmanship. Building an old galleon has ramifications beyond the scope of an ordinary hobby. An entirely new horizon is visualized. Models of these old time vessels, when hand made by experienced craftsmen, possess a value far beyond their historical significance or sentiment.

Ideal Co.
Marine Model Co.

Golden Hind

Santa Maria

Model Shipways
Mayflower
 
Old Time Ships Recommended To Be Built Outright During The Final Course.
 
Their rarity and quaintness elevates them to objects d'art and collectors' pieces. They are accepted by art dealers and collectors as antiques, not because of their age but for their rarity and craftsmanship.

However, there are many pitfalls attached to this enterprise which may injure the final outcome and cheapen the value of the object made. Most of them occur through poor selection. It would not be smart if the artist or craftsman spent a whole year fashioning a masterpiece, only to find that there are cheap imitations of it all over town. In such cases the craftsman's pride is diminished and the rarity and value of the object is lowered in the opinion of the experts.

When embarking on this most important undertaking, values should be relegated to their proper juxtaposition before the final selection is made. Values vary considerably. Sometimes the craftsman is content with the knowledge that he has wrought an object of beauty; or that he has produced a family heirloom that will be handed down to future generations. Others build for honors and renown; something to be exhibited at art shows or handicraft exhibitions or perhaps as a gift to the Town Museum or Library. There is a lot of pleasure to be derived from being able and willing to contribute something of value to a Town or State, that will be for many years a symbol of craftsmanship and public spirit of a respected citizen. In this connection I speak from knowledge. Both my family and I are gratified that a model of mine is in a place of honor in Jamestown, Va. and another in the Bermuda Historical Museum. There are few memories that bring so much pleasure and renown to a man in the eventide of life.

There is also a monetary valuation, because dollars provide the only reliable yardstick to measure the value of fine ornaments, whether we fashion them for sale or for the more rewarding satisfaction that comes from pride of possession or renown.

Mass production of model ships is not a detriment to the artist. Quantity caters to its own clientele ,and is seldom desirable to wealthy people who are antique collectors. Experts can readily distinguish the fine work of a craftsman from the mass-produced imitation. Prices of model ships vary in different countries, but the proportion remains the same everywhere.

The model of a nondescript ship built by hand would be difficult to sell at $100.00.

Hand made models of the old galleons recommended for this phase, if made by a careful craftsman, would range in value from $1100 to $3200, depending on their rarity and craftsmanship.

Such is the pattern of values of model ships, mentioned solely to measure the pros and cons of a good selection. It is not suggested that your choice should be the ships that will command the highest price, because there is something far more precious in building model ships than monetary recompense, viz.: the contentment and satisfaction of a job well done.

I have recommended four old time vessels for this phase, which could easily be your masterpiece of craftsmanship. All are distinctive and historic, and under certain circumstances could be objects d'art or collectors' items. I do not know which one you should select. All I can do is to appraise them in relation to their intrinsic values and leave the choice to you.

These old vessels are quite secure in modern art. They are not affected by changing patterns in our contemporary life; their pattern and design become more precious and desirable as the years go by.

Santa Maria

Santa Maria the flagship of Columbus is the oldest and best known of the Spanish ships. Her history is known to every student in the Americas. It is doubtful, however, if this little vessel possesses the physical attraction for a craftsman's masterpiece. She was not a galleon but just another little lowly barke of the Spanish Merchant Fleet. All her importance is contained in her unwitting discovery of the Continent of America. Craftsmen who select this ship must risk the competition of hundreds of other models of her produced by mass production, or otherwise, which cannot fail to lessen the value of your own model.

Susan Constant

Susan Constant that brought the first settlers to Virginia in 1607, is quite important historically. This little 100 ton barke takes precedent over all the other old time vessels that had to do with early Colonial days. To the Virginians, she is their Ship of Destiny, and a replica of her can be seen at Jamestown. As a model, however, Susan provides little splendor to satisfy the craftsman. She was a small, old, nondescript Tudor barke, chartered by parsimonious venturers for colonization purposes. It would be difficult for a craftsman to squeeze any pride or profit out of a model of her.

Mayflower

I have never been satisfied with the models and pictures I have seen of Mayflower. My information is that she was about 40 years old when she sailed from Plymouth in 1620; therefore she must have been a pre-Armada vessel. The replica of her designed by Wm. A. Baker bears this out. Her pronounced tumble home is typical of Tudor days. However, there is a scaled drawing of her by the late Clyde Millward, who is credited with being the most accurate of all our contemporary draftsmen, and a disciple of DEANNES DOCTRINE OF NAVAL ARCHITECTURE, which dates her 1610. This drawing follows the hull lines of the early Stuart days, and her markings are those in vogue from 1603-1630. This latter drawing would be much more suitable to the craftsmen if we could prove its authenticity. My own opinion is that Mr. Baker's replica of Mayflower is correct. However, it is doubtful if this beloved old vessel will satisfy the craftsmen because she is not a galleon and not very glamorous. She is just another ordinary merchant barke that brought settlers to America. Even if you did select her as your final model, your efforts would be repetition of scores of other existing models of her.

Artistic achievement need not be bound up with sentimental values. Art and craftsmanship should be universal in scope and outlook. The true craftsman never outruns the necessity and desire for beauty and knowledge. It is hardly likely that he will find inspiration in lowly barkes of colonial history which were the simple, unsung workhorses of the sea, ranking with the rusty tramp steamers of today. The age of splendor on the sea is confined to a short period of forty years between the height of Elizabethan grandeur in the late 1590s and the decline of Stuart elegance in 1640.

Golden Hind

Sir Francis Drake's flagship, nee Pelican, in which he circumnavigated the globe in Tudor days, is outstanding and desirable as a model; although she is not nearly as graceful and colorful as Revenge or Sea Venture. Just why Golden Hind was merely barke rigged, as shown in some available drawings, is not clear. She had the tonnage of a galleon, and it is quite likely that she was a Royal ship. However, most of the prestige surrounding her belongs to the colorful figure of Drake himself. No one knows why the old barke Pelican was selected for this spectacular and luxurious occasion.

There are few models of her on this side of the Atlantic and the modeler would not be confronted with competition of mass production. Plans and specifications are available and many suitable fittings in white metal are stocked by suppliers. Her figurehead was the gilded deer, representing the golden hind; her flags are somewhat confused from lack of specific information, but the Tudor royal standard, quartered alternately with the lilies of France and the lions of England on her main, is in order. St. George's cross on foremast and the Elizabethan ensign on the mizzen are fairly accurate. All these flags appear to be about 5 to 4 in proportion.

Broadside View Of Sea Venture
Bermuda News Bureau

Sea Venture

I have left to the last the famous ship Sea Venture, perhaps the most illustrious galleon in maritime history that had to do with America.

Historical scholars, who delve into old history books, have known of her importance for many years, but it is only within the last two years that her fame and beauty have been unfolded. Her history has been partially told in newspapers and magazines from Germany to Argentine since she was re-discovered in 1959.
 
There is no comparison between this great, lordly galleon of the early Stuart reign and the little Tudor barkes that were employed in Colonial days. Judging by her coat of arms on her upper transom, her elaborate stern walk and coloring, she might indeed have been a Royal ship; but there is no confirming evidence to prove it. Whatever time and effort were expended to resurrect this precious old ship, the end justified the means.

It is one of the anomalies of history that this beautiful ship, with all the glamour of a bygone age of elegance, should have been ignored by historians when substantial records of her splendor and achievements have been available for centuries. We have paid misguided tribute to ill-found, rat-infested old barkes and pinnaces that brought nere-do-wells, undesirables and screwballs to these shores; but our school history is silent on the subject of Sea Venture, the most elegant and colorful galleon that ever sailed into the Western Ocean. Modelers have every right to be annoyed that details of this beautiful old ship have been denied them for so long. Compared with the other old historical ships, America's "Shippe of Destiny" was fabulous. I shall have more to say about her history later in the book.

Bow View Of Sea Venture
Bermuda News Bureau

Are You Ready To Move Onto The Next Lesson? Click Here...