Soleil Royal by Hubac's Historian - Heller - An Extensive Modification and Partial Scratch-Build

[EJ_L]

Thanks for the compliments and that is indeed a great find on the decor! Even if it is not what was actually used it should prove close enough and at least be period and country appropriate.

 

That is a lot of my reasons for leaning towards the RL. It hits the end of the century and yes, the documentation and references for it are much more plentiful than the previous two. I have been toiling with the idea of making that one a fully framed model when I do build it. I am hoping to do a smaller full frame build first though for more practice.

 

I will be checking out your pinterest page for sure for that! I have a feeling I will find many more gems there too!

[Hubac's Historian]

Well, EJ, I scanned through Vaisseaus Du Roi Soleil several times, and could not find it - although, I'm sure it's in there somewhere.  For now, you'll have to do with the much smaller version (and poor iPhone photo-quality) from Designs:

 

 

In any event, it gives some sense for the paneling and general affect that would be appropriate in the aft cabins of a ship like SR.

 

Here are a few pics of the Royal Louis of 1692, 1/100 scratch-build.  Given the complicated nature of the carved ornament, I think this builder did a really exceptional job of using what I assume is polymerized clay.  He mentions, on the site where this appears, that he was breaking with his usual method and experimenting with "clay."  Really great work!!

 

[EJ_L]

Thanks! That will certainly get me started and it is much more than I previously had.

[Hubac's Historian]

Yes, discovering Pinterest was like fuel on a fire for me.  It just exposed me to such a broad spectrum of original 17th C. ship artwork, schematics, models as well as contemporary models and full-size replicas - a few of which I have even worked on, personally.

 

I have a few ship blogs.  There's also Navies of Other Euro Nations, for everything else that wasn't specifically French.

[Hubac's Historian]

Well, ordinary life stuff has kept me busy these past two weeks, but I have put in some drawing time.

 

Perhaps the most important carving on the entire model is the tafferal frieze of Apollo and his horse-drawn chariot, riding across the sky.  The Heller kit does a pretty good job of interpreting this detail, and really, it's a shame that I couldn't extricate it from the stock stern plate and glue it onto the new one.  However, it's too tall for the new frieze area, and it's also flat - unlike the round-up I intend to model into my new stern plate.  That all adds up to re-creating the carving from scratch.

 

My initial thought was to do a line tracing directly over Berain's drawing.  When I tried this, however, the background is too dark and muddy to read the lines I want to pick out through vellum.  The trick, here, is to pick out the essential outline of the thing and some of the detail, but leave out the really fine detail that will make our tracing difficult to transfer to the material.  The process of relief carving is one of removing material in layers, and by degree.  For the initial layout, I just need to know the relative sizes of the individual elements, and their relative position to each other.

 

In lieu of a tracing, I opted to map out the maximum area that the Berain drawing of the carving sits within.  With a simple grid, I now had reference points with which to map out the size of the chariot, Apollo himself, the torsos of the horses, etc.

 

 

Berain's drawing shows Apollo's toga blowing, wildly, off his right shoulder and against the framework of his chariot.  I initially tried to include this detail.  I later decided, though, to leave it out on the final re-tracing because it just looked too busy and I was doubtful of my ability to pull off such a vague detail, in such a small scale.

 

 

With this final tracing, I refined the lines, and one can see that the whole business of the chariot is much cleaner and easier for the eye to understand.  Small considerations like the way the Horse's manes appear to blow in the wind add tremendous movement and interest, if time is taken to incorporate some variety into their array.  I played with this for a while until it looked good to me.  The tracing, at it's current size, almost fits the new tafferal area perfectly.  It will, however, need to be re-sized in Corel, which is why I didn't just trace it into it's location on the ship.

Edited December 16, 2016 by Hubac's Historian

[EJ_L]

Carving the decorations has been something I have been thinking about doing ever since I thought of doing this kit. I intend to attempt it but I don't know if my skills at carving will do it justice or not. Fortunately I have plenty of time to practice and this build will offer plenty of opportunity to practice!

[Hubac's Historian]

I will definitely be updating my Dremel with a flexi-shaft to rough things in, but I anticipate grinding small scrapers and making a few micro chisels to do the detail work.  In my experience, 90% of carving is about having a good layout to begin with.  It takes surprisingly little to add shape and dimension, as long as the outline of the thing is to scale and a nice profile.  I say go for it!

[Hubac's Historian]

An open question to the forum:

 

In pouring over all of these images of 17th C. Ships of the line, in battle, it strikes me that the ships are almost always depicted as only carrying their main and topmast courses, even when it is generally known that the ship also carried fore and main t'gallant masts and sails. Was this a particular consideration for battle: less top hamper means less to clear and cut away, in the event of a dismasting? Was it simply the case that the extra sail power and maneuverability were not worth the cost in damage or extra manpower to work the sails, during battle? Just curious. All insight and theories are welcome.

[shipmodel]

Hi Marc -

 

Just stopped bye when you posted so let me wade in first.

 

I agree with you that the top hamper would have been removed during battle,.  Certainly during the period that you are interested in, and especially for the large ships of the line.  They were slow and wallowing, and once into the line maneuvering was not part of the battle plan.  I have the impression that it was actively discouraged, although I don't recall a specific example.  This was why having the weather gauge was so important.  Only much later, with Nelson and a few others, do the tactics change to a more fluid attack. 

 

Single ship actions between frigates and other mid-sized ships were different, and it might me interesting to check if they are shown with top hamper during battle.  I'll keep an eye out.

 

Happy Holidays to you and yours.

 

Dan

[Hubac's Historian]

Great answer, Dan! Yeah, I wonder also, about one-on-one encounters. I'll have to delve a little deeper!

[EJ_L]

From what I have read, these ships were designed to fight more like castles and early tanks. By that I mean that they were more or less designed to outlast the opponent more than out maneuver them. Therefore I would think that to eliminate as much extra rigging and canvas from getting in the way, anything above the tops would not be needed.

 

I would have thought that this would be an inconvience but the more I read the more impressed I become at how quick and efficient a good crew was at changing a ships rigging. Of course there was more time in the lead up to a battle but even if chance needed to be given, I would think that they could run the gallants up quickly for extra sail and they would be in undamaged unlike the main and top sails which would likely be full of holes.

[Hubac's Historian]

Happy Holidays to you and everyone here!

[Hubac's Historian]

I was thinking it might be fun to model the ship, preparing for action, since it will be a waterline diorama model.  It would be interesting to show the crew lowering the fore t'gallant mast.  I'd have to do some research to find out what, exactly, that process was for dismantling the upper rig because you would want to show the mast actually being lowered through the top.  Anyway, just a thought.

 

EJ, do you have any reading recommendations on the subject?

Edited December 16, 2016 by Hubac's Historian

[Hubac's Historian]

One of the artistic license details that I'm thinking of adding is a furling banner scroll beneath the stern chase ports, in light blue, bordered in gold.  It would be a kind of king's motto plate, like the "Dieu de Mon Droit" of the English royal coat of arms.

 

It might read something like this:  "Je suis le soleil du monde"  

 

"I am the sun of the world"

 

I think it appropriately captures the egotism of Louis XIV, and for that matter, all kings of the period.  I could even make a small baby face carving of Louis XIV, with the gilded rays of the sun shining around him, and mounted to the rudder, in line with the banner.

 

It's a thought.  Maybe good, maybe not, but I think I'll try and draw it.

Edited December 17, 2016 by Hubac's Historian

[Hubac's Historian]

Far from perfect.  The lettering is too big.  But this would be the idea:

 

[shipmodel]

Hi Marc -

 

The scroll looks great, but Louis XIV already has a motto, "Nec Pluribus Impar", which is said to be quite difficult to translate.  The general meaning is along the lines of "Not Unequal to Many", implying that he was the equal of many suns in his power and illumination.

 

As for placement, I have never seen any decoration across the square tuck portion of the stern.  Possibly because it would be really subject to destruction from any following sea.  Maybe it could go across the railing of the lowest gallery of the stern cabins?

 

Dan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[shipmodel]

Here is an illustration of it, and how it was rendered on a cannon.

 

Dan

 

 

 

[Bill Morrison]

I just found this thread, and I am indeed very interested!  I am attempting to model the SR ala Berain, but nothing to match the depth of research and surgery you are planning!  I may have to rethink my approach, although I do want to include the color scheme in Berain's paintings.  I will certainly be following your thread very closely!

 

Bill

[WackoWolf]

Good for you Bill.

[Hubac's Historian]

Wow Dan - another great find! Your parsing sounds much more appropriate than Google Translate, which offers the following: "or an odd number". The layout of the inscription on the cannon is even a nice suggestion for the design of the scroll, although, that particular design would place the ornament even closer to the waterline. I hear what you are saying about the following sea. Perhaps, if I do include this detail, whichever way I choose to simulate the tree-nailing, well, I could really emphasize the fastening of the banner to the hull.

 

There is a small flat, along the bottom edge of the lower gallery where this inscription could go, sans scroll. That space works out to just shy of an 1/8". Not impossible, but a daunting challenge. My inspiration for the banner below the chase ports comes from a fuzzy detail in Ludolf Bakhuizen's battle of Barfleur, where you can just make out a rolling something below the chase ports. Could simply be a representation of the rudder chains, but it got me thinking. The only other example I can think of, with a banner inscription anywhere near where I am proposing is the Provincien. She has her name inscribed upon a similar banner, just above the chase ports, but below the lowest gallery.

 

Another possibility, since I will eventually be designing new deck railings for the f'ocsle, quarter and poop decks, would be to incorporate this inscription into the forward face of the poop deck railing. For the time being, I will layout the new inscription and worry about where it goes later. In Corel, it will be easier to reduce the width of the banner because, as I mentioned, the whole affair is a little too heavy looking, but the shape and intent of it seem right to me.

 

I am continually impressed, Dan, by the breadth of your knowledge. Thank you, once again!

Edited December 19, 2016 by Hubac's Historian

[Hubac's Historian]

Hello, Bill, and welcome! I am so glad that you will be following this build, and I look forward to trading tips and insight into whatever it is that we learn along the way.

 

My intention, once I have a full schematic of the modified and added to hull, is to post that plan to the site for anyone to do whatever it is that they'd like to; post it on a wall and throw darts at it, or use it as a jumping off point for their own theory of the ship. Overall, my hope is to simply show what's possible with this kit. I'm doing the best research I can, but in the end, there can only be a reasonable basis in fact for the decisions I make in representing SR. No absolute rights or wrongs.

 

So, welcome aboard, Bill, and if you start a build log, I will gladly follow you.

Edited December 19, 2016 by Hubac's Historian

[Hubac's Historian]

So, after re-working the banner, this is what I have now:

 

 

A quick visit to Wikipedia shed some additional insight into the meaning of this inscription:

 

While the motto relates to the allegory of the "Sun King",^[2][3] its precise meaning is obscure.^[4][5] Philip F. Riley calls it "almost untranslatable".^[3] Historian Henri Martin called it "very pompous and, above all, obscure and perplexing".^[6]Louvois, Louis' War Secretary, interpreted it as seul contre tous — "alone against all";^[4] lexicographer Pierre Larousse suggested au-dessus de tous (comme le soleil) — "above all (like the sun)".^[4] John Martin says "[Louis'] matchless splendour was expressed by the motto Nec Pluribus Impar - not unequal to many suns.".^[7]Yves-Marie Bercé gives Suffisant (seul) a tant de choses ("Sufficient (alone) for so many things") or Tout lui est possible ("Everything is possible for him"), i.e., "not unequal to many [tasks]".^[8] Louis himself wrote:^[5]

 

Those who saw me managing the cares of royalty with such ease and with such confidence induced me to add [to the image of the sun] the sphere of the earth, and as its motto NEC PLURIBUS IMPAR, by which they meant to flatter the ambitions of a young king, in that with all my capacities, I would be just as capable of ruling still other empires as would the sun of illuminating still other worlds with its rays. I known that some obscurity has been found in these words, and I have no doubt that the same symbol might have suggested some happier ones. Others have been presented to me since, but this one having already been used in my buildings and in an infinite number of other things, I have not deemed appropriate to change it.

 

— Louis XIV, 1662.

 

An image search of the phrase reveals the ubiquity of its expression during his reign.  I think that this fact, alone, argues strongly for its inclusion somewhere on the model.  It may not be practical to place it beneath the chase ports, but it does fit nicely there.  I have also been thinking about what I will do with paint, to the tafferal frieze of Apollo.

 

My color scheme for the ship will include a darker royal, or French blue for most of the upper bulwarks, however, the main deck guns of the upper bulwarks will be done in a much lighter, grey/blue.  This lighter, grey/blue color will be used as an accent color for the sky backdrop of Apollo, on the tafferal.  The clouds will be airbrushed to appear greyish-white and stormy, and I've been considering a stylized halo of sunburst rays, emanating from behind Apollo's chariot, in fine lines of orange and gold.  All of the paint work will be lightly aged with a, or a series of, washcoats, and the hull will be darkened in the manner of Herbert Tomesan's ships from the Texel Roads diorama. Here is his model of Hollandia, from the Texel Roads diorama:

 

 

So much of what I hope to accomplish with SR, in the way of added detail comes from my experience of meeting Mr. Tomesan, back in 2003, when I went to work at the Batavia Werf Shipyard for three months.  He showed me his process for prototyping these large (and small) Dutch warships, and work boats, and I was absolutely floored by his ability to render carved detail in plastic, while also taking great pains to incorporate so much of the construction fabric of an authentic seventeenth century vessel.  I remember him telling me, at the time, that what disappointed him with commercial kit architecture was that these models don't really look like ships, in the way that a Van de Velde portrait paints such a vivid picture of what these vessels really looked like on the water.  It was Mr. Tomesan, in fact, who planted the early seeds for this build in my head, because he told me that he once built the Heller kit, but that he cut the ship down a bit to lower it's top hamper, and thus he made it appear more ship-like, in his opinion.  All these years later, having studied the known architecture of the period, I have come to agree with him.

 

Anyway, his diorama is absolutely enormous and mind-boggling in it's completeness and consistent attention to detail.  What he excels at, in particular, is his paint process for creating realistic "in the water" patination of a wooden hull.  I held these models right up to my face and felt like a giant holding the real thing.

 

Here is an example of the shade of grey/blue that I was thinking of for the main deck bulwarks:

 

 

The color complements the gold leaf very nicely and the contrast in blues adds further dimension to the model, while setting off the delicate lattice work of the upper frieze, in the darker French blue. The large antler/cartouche carvings, between the main deck guns, have a small oval panel that will be picked out with the darker, french blue, with the delicate raised scroll ornament picked out in gold.

 

On a side note, here's a better picture of the stern window that I decided to jazz up a little bit:

 

Edited December 30, 2016 by Hubac's Historian

[Hubac's Historian]

Hello All,

 

I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday and is looking forward to the New Year.

 

Tonight, I had a chance to draw in the decorative filigree between the knees of the head.  The forward end will join the tail of the figurehead.

 

 

This addition, as well as the head rail support stanchions are an absolute must for this re-build.

 

I am thinking about adding the horse head and angel to the aft end of the head rail, without modifying the head rail itself.  I'll have to play around with it a little to see whether it will work.

[Hubac's Historian]

Tonight, I drew in the Angel and horse of the head rails.  I've only traced in the top outline of the head rail to show how the horse wraps around the topmost medallion of the head rails.

 

 

In order to add this detail, I would only need to shave off, two leafy horns from the sides of the head rail medallions, as well as a short length of garland on the aft head rail, which doesn't connect or relate to anything else in the kit decor, anyway.  I would also lose the forward most antler escutcheon carving because the angel is now in that position, but this is a reasonable trade-off, in my opinion.

 

The angel's arm positioning isn't exactly as drawn by Berain, but I had to adjust her stance in order to reconcile the kit gun port positioning, and my new square port accents.  She's also more 20th C. Victoria's Secret angel, than 17th C. chaste angel, but I reserve license in these matters.

 

 

I think the detail is worth including because it will balance the angel figures to either side of upper quarter gallery window, and the horse head is a nice echo of the figurehead.

 

 

I think, at this point, it's time to download Corel and learn how to digitize what I have so that I can make it into a complete drawing.  There probably won't be much coming out of this post for a while.  I'm tempted, of course, to start prepping and detailing the lower hull halves, but that would only be time taken from the plans drawing in Corel.  Hopefully, I'll hear back from the Musee sometime soon.  I will share whatever I learn from them, as soon as they do.

Edited December 29, 2016 by Hubac's Historian

[Hubac's Historian]

Although I haven't been busy on here, I have been busy.  On the software front, I was initially dismayed to realize that older versions of Corel Draw are not compatible with MACs, and I didn't feel like spending big bucks for the most current CAD version of Corel, which is compatible.  However, on Amazon I found a NIB edition of Adobe Illustrator 7, complete with discs!  Non-software person that I am, it was a revelation to me that you generally no longer get discs with your latest and greatest software upgrades.  So, that's on its way, and should be here in a week, or so.  In the meantime, I've been watching YouTube videos to figure out how, exactly, to use the AutoTrace tool bar.  All good.

 

I found out, through sources in direct contact with J.C. Lemineur that the photos of the 90-gun first rate ship that I posted earlier, from NAVEXPO 2012, are indeed the subject of a new monographie that should be released some time toward the end of 2017.  The ship is Le Saint Philippe, of 1693.  While her construction corresponds more directly with the second construction of Soleil Royal (following the loss of the first at La Hogue), I believe there is much to be gained, architecturally, from a close study of Le Saint Philippe.  I look forward to adding that to my collection, once it is available.

 

 

I've poked the Musee to see whether they had made any headway on my questions, but so far, I have not heard back from them.  Perhaps they feel that I am wasting my (and their) time even bothering to ask about the first SR.  However, as they say, it never hurts to ask.  I will continue to prod, gently, until I hear something.

 

Having fulfilled my Brother-in-Law's Secret Santa wish for the cordless micro Dremel, I was delighted to discover that this - as opposed to the flexi-shaft - is light in the hand and small enough at the finger grip to allow your full range of fine motor skills.  So, I'll have to place an order for that sometime in the coming weeks.

 

Yet, I still have time on my hands, so I decided it was time to jump in and get started with the hull detailing!

 

One of the things that always bothers me about plastic ship kits is that when you look through the gun port openings, the hull looks exactly like what it is:  a boat-shaped shell that lacks the sort of wall thickness that can stand up to a 36-pound shot.  In pursuit of realism, in this build, one of the first things I wanted to tackle was adding the appearance of frame thickness to the gun port openings.

 

On the first gun deck, I'm using .125 x .125 styrene strip to frame the sills and stiles of each opening, flush with the inner lip of the gun port opening.  On the middle deck ports, I'll use .100 x .100 strip to simulate what would be a slight narrowing of the framing on this higher deck.  I also feel that the upper bulwark rail thicknesses are too thin, but I'm not sure whether I will go so far as to plank, and thus thicken, the inner walls of these bulwarks. 

 

The first step was to level the inside faces of each opening with a 100-grit rubber block (an eraser with sanding paper double stuck to it, actually) because the hull pressing left a crown around each opening that would make it more tedious than necessary to close the joints between my sill and stiles.  One of the nice things about this build is that, for quite a while, there will be a nice contrast between the black pressings of the kit and the white styrene add-ons, as much of my modification will happen before I get anywhere near the first spray of paint.  Here are the early returns:

 

 

 

 

Whether or not the dimensions of the added stock exactly scale out to the real thickness of the full-size hull at corresponding locations, is not of so much importance to me.  The graduation in thickness and the appearance of depth more than make up for whatever scale discrepancies may exist in my approach.  Once they're painted that deep matte red that we associate with port openings, this small addition will seem well worth the effort.  At least - that's what I'm telling myself.

 

Finally, I found a close-up of SR's stern, from the 20th Century painting that I posted earlier:

 

 

This image, more than anything, re-affirms my idea about the arrangement of SR1's stern balconies.  Yes, the artist is modern, but as I stated earlier, I believe the clues to SR's stern are to be interpreted from the subtle shadow clues in the Berain drawing.

 

It has also, lately, been helpful to me in deciding how I will portray the quarter galleries.  The enlarged photo, above, illustrates one possible reconciliation from the stern to the quarter galleries, which interestingly, is supported by Tanneron's damaged model of the smaller rated L'Agreable and also, in other small ways, by Le Brilliant.

 

 

 

I will devote a separate post to this when I get closer to drawing it in Adobe

Edited January 9, 2017 by Hubac's Historian

[G. Delacroix]

Hello,

 

Mr Lemineur communicated the following:

 

It may be well to point out that the Soleil Royal of Heller as well as that of Tanneron exhibited at the Musée de la Marine in Paris are not the Soleil Royal  of 1668 built by Laurent Hubac in Brest.

It is actually the 2e Soleil Royal, named on cale "Le Foudroyant" and renamed the Soleil Royal  in 1693.

This second Soleil Royal, built by Etienne Hubac, Laurent's son, measured 170 feet long while the length of that of 1668 was 164 ½ feet.

It was pierced with 14 ports on the low battery. The 15th port, reserved for hunting, was not armed.

The piercing of the Soleil Royal of 1668 was to 16 ports, the 16th of the front, destined for the shooting, was armed only at the moment, the 15th canon of the front being removed from its port to be put in battery to the so-called hunting port!

The distribution of the artillery on the 2nd Soleil Royal which determines the general architecture of the vessel is therefore totally different from that of the Soleil Royal of 1668.

Finally, in order to demonstrate the extent of the gap separating Heller's model from historical reality, it is necessary, for example, to compare the draught of water. That of Heller measures 4 cm on the 1/100 scale and therefore 4 meters at scale 1/1. On the Soleil Royal of 1668, it was 23 ½ feet, that is to say 7 meters and 23 cm, the French foot of King measuring 32,48 cm. There is therefore a difference of 3.23 meters and therefore a total lack of conformity and proportions.

 

Unfortunately, for people too credulous, the model of Heller demonstrates a total lack of intellectual honesty against which we struggle most of the time without success.

 

GD

Approximately Translate by Google   

Edited January 9, 2017 by G. Delacroix

[Hubac's Historian]

Hello Mr. Delacroix,

 

Thank you for relating Mr. Lemineur's thoughts, which are particularly helpful, as they answer a number of the questions I posed to the Musee.  One question for Mr. Lemineur that is of particular interest to me concerns the dust jacket artwork for his book, Les Vaisseaux Du Roi Soleil.  My operating assumption, so far, has been that this artwork represents the original decor for the SR of 1668, and that it corresponds, directly, with the black and white stern schematic that is attributed to Berain.  Is that, indeed, so?  Also, I wonder who is responsible for creating these color draughts of the bow and stern.  Were they simply proposals for the decor, created by Puget, perhaps, and refined by Berain?  Or do they represent an actual contemporary portrait of the ship, after she was built?  Is the artist known?

 

I'm aware, from my meager efforts at translating his book, that there are wide discrepancies in the arrangement of the guns between the first and second SR.  As I mention, earlier in this thread though, this problem of the number and arrangement of guns is not one that I intend to tackle with this build.  I am also mindful of the problem of draught with this Heller kit, which is why I have decided to dispense with the lower hull, altogether, and make it a waterline model.

 

What I'm after is an impression of period correctness.  Will my model be an academically rigorous and faithful recreation?  Unfortunately, that is not possible at this time.  As a side note, I should mention that I chose the screen name "Hubac's Historian" because I was an English major and am fond of alliteration.  It just sounds good, doesn't it?  I am not so proud to think, though, that I can unlock the mysteries of early French naval architecture.  Nevertheless, I can appreciate Mr. Lemineur's frustration with the Heller kit.

 

I just want to see whether I can turn it into something that resembles his dust jacket artwork, because whatever version of the ship that represents - it is a remarkable work of art, in itself.  It is grand, and completely over the top and awe inspiring!  I only hope to understand what it is that I'm looking at.  For me, the fun is in attempting to reconcile everything that isn't shown between those two bow and stern drawings.

 

In an effort to relieve you, Mr. Delacroix, of your role as intermediary, you can forward my email address to Mr. Lemineur:

 

benchmarc_woodworking@yahoo.com

 

I appreciate, very much, the time you have taken to explain these things.  As always, I'm very appreciative of everyone who visits this thread, weighs in, or takes any interest in this project, whatsoever.

[Hubac's Historian]

Dig and ye shall find!

 

The following is an article that can be found on the following website, which is devoted to recording the history and development of the French Navy.  Here is the web address where the article can be found:

 

https://troisponts.net/2013/10/18/les-soleil-royal-de-la-marine-de-lancien-regime/#more-5495

 

This article is the work of Nicolas Mioque and draws upon the research of the following three men:

 

– Demerliac, Alain. Nomenclature des navires français.
– Lemineur, Jean-Claude. Les vaisseaux du Roi Soleil.
– Roche, Jean-Michel. Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours.

 

Much of what is explained, here, has been laid out for me by Mr. Lemineur, with whom I am having a separate conversation about the decoration of the first Soleil Royal.  As I think this concise article provides a useful understanding of the history of the four ships (but really three, as the article explains) to bear the Soleil Royal name, I recommend that anyone interested visit the web address above.  I would copy and paste it here, both in French and translated (adequately enough) by Google Translate, however, I am uncertain of the possibility of copyright infringement, without express permission to reproduce the article in a separate forum.  I want to be clear, though, that none of this research is my own.

Edited January 22, 2017 by Hubac's Historian

[Hubac's Historian]

I am now in the process of composing a letter to Mr. Lemineur, in which I debate the possibility that Berain's stern drawing (known to be from 1689), corresponds directly with the color drafts of SR's bow and stern.  There are some inconsistencies between the drawings, to be sure, but a wealth of correlation.  Although I have not absolutely convinced myself, just yet, I strongly suspect that these images, combined, provide a fairly solid representation of the ship, post re-fit, in 1689.  I will include my analysis, sometime in the near future, after sending this letter off and giving Mr. Lemineur some time to respond.  It only matters in so far as I hope to place this build within some context, i.e., here is an arguable representation of the ship from 1689.

 

One of the more interesting and debatable aspects of SR's popularized appearance, for example, is whether the ship's topsides were as thoroughly cloaked in blue as is almost always depicted.  Mr. Lemineur maintains that the expense of producing the rich, ultra-marine blue (which would, at the time, have been costly to extract from the stone, lapis) would be prohibitive, and that instead, much of the ship was probably painted red;  exceptions being made around the tafferal frieze of Apollo.  That is all fascinating to consider, especially so when one considers that popular conceptions of the Vasa painted Royal Blue were completely turned on their ear, when the microscopic analysis of the ship's timbers revealed that she was mostly painted red above the main deck and that her sculptures were a riot of many colors.

 

Is it conceivable, given the excesses of Louis XIV's reign, that the upper bulwarks were painted in true ultra-marine?  I would say that it seems plausible and worth investigating further.  That does seem to be the opinion of the historian François Bluche, who is a specialist on the reign of Louis XIV, and is cited in the article above.  What might be a better avenue to explore is whether anyone at this time in the late 17th century was creating deep blues from the copper oxides of Azurite.  Those are all questions I am exploring and welcome any insight any of you might have to period colors for French ships of the line.

 

In build news, I have almost completed "framing" out the gunports and am satisfied with the effect.  The lower gun deck walls seem sufficiently thick to put up a fight against incoming 36 lb shot, and the middle deck ports show a noticeable and reasonable graduation in thickness, as they would be slightly thinner in full practice.  I will post a few pics, once this is complete.

 

My Adobe Illustrator software has arrived and I will soon turn my focus to learning how to use it, so that I can complete my drawing of the ship.  This drawing will enable me to layout the fretwork frieze of the upper bulwarks, re-locate the channels and reconcile any conflict of the shrouds, relative to the guns.

Edited January 22, 2017 by Hubac's Historian

[Hubac's Historian]

One other observation about the article about SR from the troisponts.net site:

 

The article opens with a brief discussion about the Reglement of 1670, which specified that only two ships - SR and the Royal Louis, both of 1668 - would be fitted out with a distinct forecastle, thus marking their special place as prestige ships.  All well and good.

 

But then, this Van De Velde portrait of La Reyne is dated at 1673, five years after her construction, and clearly shows her as having a distinct forecastle:

 

 

I only raise the issue to point out the difficulty in weighing too heavily on one source of information over another; in this case, as seems to be the case with many of the Reglements leading up to the Second Marine, what was mandated was not necessarily what was followed.  Otherwise, La Reyne would have been cut down to conform, no?

Edited January 22, 2017 by Hubac's Historian