Model of a 44-Gun Ship of the Line

Entry

Rigged wooden frame model of a three-masted ship with sails, mounted on a stand.

The model has four levels: orlop (framework only), lower deck, main deck, beakhead platform and forecastle and quarterdeck with gangways (missing). Parts of the decks can be removed. Forty-four guns are indicated in two tiers. The figurehead is of a crowned rampant lion with a fleur-de-lis between its front legs, the beakhead is decorated with carvings of waves. The stern has a round tuck, a hollow counter with two gun ports, a single-storey taffrail with sliding windows and decorated with carvings of pilasters, scrollwork, martial trophies and a coat of arms carried by two figurines. The single-storey quarter galleries have a sliding window. Below the stern a straight, square-headed rudder is indicated, but no sweep, and a steering wheel is positioned on the quarterdeck. The model is fitted with two anchors, single riding bitts, a double capstan, two chain pumps, a table, the galley with Y-shaped chimney, a binnacle and a ship’s bell. Parts of the planking can be removed to study the chain pumps and there is a hole in the keel. The sheer rises towards the stern. The model has two wales and two sheer rails. The hull is S-bottomed. The model has a three-masted rig with sails and a mizzen with a gaff. The model has an eye for suspension near the knight of the mainmast. The launch, spare timber and other parts are missing.

This model was purchased by Jochem Pietersz Asmus (1755-1837) for his private collection. He mentions it in a list from May 1807.³ The model was transferred from Amsterdam to The Hague in 1818.⁴ The 44-gun ship Hector, 145 feet long, was commenced by Willem Lodewijk van Gent in Amsterdam in 1784 and finished by William May (1725-1807). It was the last of its rate, with forty guns in two tiers. Hector was captured by the British in 1799.⁵

Scale (estimate) 1:65.