Tie up your bonnets!

[Louie da fly]

I've seen this picture of the Santa Caterina do Monto Sinai (c. 1520) so many times but only just really had the penny drop.

 

The Mainsail and bonnets have letters of the alphabet written on them. If I'd thought about it at all it was that it was like the annotated pictures of ships from the 17th century with each number telling you what part of the ship/rigging it was.

 

But now I think about it I realize it was for the crew to know which way to attach the bonnets to the course - like when you make a cardboard figure - join tab A to slot A, tab B to slot B etc.

 

Simple when you think about it, but it's stared me in the face all this time without me realizing.

 

Steven 

[S.Coleman]

Good spotting. I was looking at the ship center of the painting and I notice two sterns. But it only looks like one ship? Or am I missing something?

[popeye2sea]

Your looking at the rear of the forecastle.  They were quite high in those days.

[jbshan]

The letters were a prayer everybody knew, written on both bonnet and course.  Just match up the letters.

SANTAROSADOMINEPATRIA

and, on the bonnet:

SANTAROSADOMINEPATRIA

Edited December 24, 2015 by jbshan

[Louie da fly]

Oh, well spotted jbshan! I hadn't thought to put the letters together to make words. Makes sense, though. It becomes an easily remembered mnemonic for the sailors to use - assuming at least some of them could read. But even if not, they just had to match the letters up.

 

Steven