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Model of the Slave Ship De Witte Oliphant
anonymous, 1755
For a merchantman, this model has a broad hull and unusually tall masts. These features, as well as the decoration of African men on either corner of the stern, strongly suggest that it was used to transport enslaved people. Models of such slave ships are exceptionally rare. It is not known how this one came to be in the Department of the Navy’s collection.
- Artwork typeship model, show model, fully rigged model
- Object numberNG-MC-1210
- Dimensionsheight 205 cm x length 225 cm x width 77.5 cm
- Physical characteristicswood, brass, iron, glass, rope and paint
Identification
Title(s)
- Model of the Slave Ship De Witte Oliphant
- Model of a Merchantman
Object type
Object number
NG-MC-1210
Description
Gepolychromeerd en getuigd spantmodel. 22 geschutpoorten verdeeld over twee dekken, alle geschut ontbreekt. Drie niveau's: onderdek, hoofddek, halfdek en bakdek en iets lager luizenplecht; op het halfdek staat een glazen roef. Het schegbeeld is een gekroonde leeuw. Platte spiegel met twee poorten met hierop de naam 'De Witte Oliphant' en het jaartal 1755, hol wulf, hek van één verdieping versierd met twee leeuwen die een gekroond embleem met de letters LAL, en twee zwarte hoekfiguren; zijgalerijen van één verdieping versierd met krulwerk; recht roer met vierkante roerkoning, stuurwiel achter tegen de bezaansmast. De zeeg loopt op naar achteren, twee barkhouten en één reehout. Rondspant. Het model is uitgerust met twee ankers, een braadspil bij de knecht van de fokkemast, dekluiken en roosters, en een scheepsbel; de kaapstander op het hoofddek ontbreekt. Het model heeft een driemasttuig zonder zeilen. Van davits aan het hek hangt een enkelriems barkas van zes riemen: het heeft een roer met stuurkwadrant en een los roer.
Inscriptions / marks
- monogram, on the taffrail: ‘LAL’
- inscription, on the stern: ‘17 DE 55 / WITTE OLIPHANT.’
Part of catalogue
Creation
Creation
model maker: anonymous, Netherlands
Dating
1755
Search further with
Material and technique
Physical description
wood, brass, iron, glass, rope and paint
Dimensions
height 205 cm x length 225 cm x width 77.5 cm
Explanatory note
Er is geen historische informatie over dit model of schip bekend.
This work is about
Person
Subject
Acquisition and rights
Copyright
Provenance
...; transferred from the Ministerie van Marine (Department of the Navy), The Hague, to the museum, 1883
Documentation
Persistent URL
To refer to this object, please use the following persistent URL:
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anonymous
Model of a Merchantman
Netherlands, 1755
Inscriptions
- inscription, on the stern:17 DE 55 / WITTE OLIPHANT.
- monogram, on the taffrail:LAL
Provenance
...; transferred from the Ministerie van Marine (Department of the Navy), The Hague, to the museum, 1883
Object number: NG-MC-1210
Entry
Polychromed and rigged planked frame model of a three-masted vessel, mounted on a stand.
The model had three levels: lower deck, main deck, quarterdeck and forecastle with slightly lower beakhead platform. The quarterdeck has a large glass dome as its deck light. The lower deck has a porthole to either side, on the decks above twelve to fourteen gun positions are indicated; all the guns are missing. The figurehead is a rampant crowned lion. The stern has a square tuck with two gun ports, a hollow counter, a single-storey taffrail decorated with two lions carrying the crowned coat of arms with the inscription ‘LAL’, and two black quarter figures. The single-storey quarter galleries are decorated with carvings. Below the stern is a straight, square-headed rudder, the steering wheel is attached to the mizzen mast. The sheer rises towards the stern, the model has two wales and a sheer rail. The hull is round and painted white below the waterline. The model is fitted with two anchors, a windlass near the fore jeer bitts, hatches and a ship bell. The capstan on the main deck is missing. The model has a three-masted rig without sails. From the davits above the taffrail hangs a six-oared single-banked launch fitted with a rudder, a rudder quadrant and a spare rudder.
Due to its unusually tall rigging, its wide beam and its decorative scheme with two Africans as quarter figures, it is thought likely that the model portrays a slaver.1A.J. Hoving and J. van der Vliet, ‘A Bespoke Elephant’, The Rijksmuseum Bulletin 60 (2012), no. 2, pp. 130-43; A.J. Hoving, Message in a Model: Stories from the Navy Model Room of the Rijksmuseum, Florence, OR 2013, pp. 68-71.
Scale unknown.
Literature
J.M. Obreen et al., handwritten inventory list for items 944 to 1431, 1884, manuscript in HNA 476 RMA, inv. no. 1089, no. 1210; R. van Luttervelt, Oude schepen / Old Ships, Amsterdam 1957, nos. 28, 30-31; A.J. Hoving and J. van der Vliet, ‘A Bespoke Elephant’, The Rijksmuseum Bulletin 60 (2012), no. 2, pp. 130-43; A.J. Hoving, Message in a Model: Stories from the Navy Model Room of the Rijksmuseum, Florence, OR 2013, pp. 68-71; R. Daalder et al. (eds.), Slaven en schepen in het Atlantisch gebied, Leiden/Amsterdam 2013
Citation
J. van der Vliet, 2016, 'anonymous, Model of a Merchantman, Netherlands, 1755', in J. van der Vliet and A. Lemmers (eds.), Navy Models in the Rijksmuseum, online coll. cat. Amsterdam: https://data.rijksmuseum.nl/200316100
(accessed 11 December 2025 23:25:36).Footnotes
- 1A.J. Hoving and J. van der Vliet, ‘A Bespoke Elephant’, The Rijksmuseum Bulletin 60 (2012), no. 2, pp. 130-43; A.J. Hoving, Message in a Model: Stories from the Navy Model Room of the Rijksmuseum, Florence, OR 2013, pp. 68-71.