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

[shipmodel]

Just beautiful, Marc.

Bravo!

 

Dan

[aurelien wolff]

Where do you need to retouch? I find what you did nice already. I'll keep what heller did on my SR and use azure blue as the main color with gold and ocher.

[Hubac's Historian]

It tends to wear through on any sharp corners just from the handling of painting the rest of it.

[72Nova]

Just jaw dropping paint work Marc and you're so right about the paint wearing while handling it until it's finally mounted.

Michael D. 

[mtaylor]

Your paintwork and carving is beyond incredible, Marc. 

[Hubac's Historian]

You guys are all very kind - thank you!

[aurelien wolff]

Going through the thread and I wonder if the so call 1669 berain drawing is really the 1st SR, because the quarter gallery are closed when they're supposed to be open and the windows arrangement don't correspond to what was described for the royal louis and other ships from the time period also had this 6 windows with 1 space in the middle arrangement. The drawing remind me more of what berain proposed for the refit SR than the 1st one.

[Hubac's Historian]

The Berain drawings date to the time of the refit.  Berain does not officially become designer of ornament to the King’s arsenals until after Lebrun’s death in 1690, but his famous stern drawing is a re-working of the original design by Puget - the underlying conception for which was established by LeBrun.

The quarter drawing, I have argued, is consistent with the evolution in QG design (closed lower bottle on middle deck level, wrapping main deck balcony, QD amortisement), in the 1680s.  There is strong correlation in the design elements that make up the windows and decorative rails between quarter and stern drawings.  What is somewhat confusing to me is that this quarter drawing lacks the flawless continuity of the stern drawing; there are design problems with the quarter drawing that would lead to an impractical construction, if taken literally.  Also, this drawing shows the extremely pronounced aft sheer that would have been a feature of 1670 (see how the wales/precients are cut completely by the aft ports), yet the stern height is definitely not as high as that time period.

Also baffling is the cropping of the image.  At the right margin, the drawing ends in a soft line, but the angle of that line, relative to the digital right margin, makes it seem as though the ocean water is cascading downhill and that the ship is sinking, bow first.  Rotate the drawing 15 degrees counterclockwise and one’s perception of the thing changes dramatically.

 

All of this suggests that the heading, “Bouteille du Vaisseau…” is a later notation than the date of the drawing.  It is the heading that has determined the modern cropping of the drawing.  Why it is notated at such an odd angle to the original intent of the drawing is anyone’s guess.

Edited December 15, 2022 by Hubac's Historian

[Hubac's Historian]

Also, I might add, that this headrail arrangement is indicative of this later evolution in head construction in the 1680’s:

 

And a dated (1692) drawing of Le Terrible, also by Berain:

 

In contrast to the 1670’s:

 

 

Edited December 15, 2022 by Hubac's Historian

[druxey]

Your image of Bouteille du vaisseau le Soleil Royal is weird! My suspicion is that the image was rotated 15 degrees, as you point out; but whoever did that then turned the title in PhotoShop or similar to make it horizontal again. Otherwise it makes no sense at all. In any case, what purpose was there in rotating the image to begin with? "I guess the back end has to line up with the edge of the page!"

Edited December 15, 2022 by druxey

[Hubac's Historian]

Yeah, it’s completely bizarre.  The same style of notation appears on other drawings, both earlier and later, and they are absent of these anomalies.

 

The Royal Dauphin of 1668:

SR’s interiors, circa 1689:

L’Agreable, 1697:

Edited December 15, 2022 by Hubac's Historian

[aurelien wolff]

Maybe it's related to the restauration of the image, tho I'm not sure if it'd mean rotating the image like that, on the restored old books I saw during my 1 week internship at the haguenau library, they didn't rotated stuff, and it wasn done in the old not restored book I saw in the "fond patrimoniaux" either(I got the chance to look at XVth century book there btw).

[Hubac's Historian]

Alright, so this is a go:

[aurelien wolff]

so you're not going for the gold/ocher 4 seasons figure, you're going for colors. I don't know if it's mu eyes, but one of the pillar on the last windows level seem a bit oddly angled, I wonder why.

[Hubac's Historian]

Which level and pilar are you referring to?  As for the painting of the figures, it is my belief that they would have been painted in a more naturalistic way, as was done decades earlier on the Vasa.  All of my figures, and there are quite a number of them on this ship, are done this way.

[Blue Ensign]

Your painting skills  are second to none Marc, that stern is  magnificent.

What a statement!

 

B.E.

 

 

[James G]

You clearly have a steady hand! Well done.

[Hubac's Historian]

Thank you very much, guys!

[aurelien wolff]

I'm talking about the 2nd pilars of the second row of windows you did. For the 1st SR, it seems the figures are more either gold or ocher, so I'll do them that way on mine.

[Hubac's Historian]

If you backtrack a few posts to the drawing I did for the lights, you will see where those alignment issues arise from.

[72Nova]

This photo really brings the stern to life, just superb craftsmanship Marc!!!

 

Michael D.

[aurelien wolff]

Even with the column alignment issue, the stern you did still look verry good and the colors are vibrant. On the balcony, I plan to keep what heller originally did and enlarge them so they'd fit the new breadth, the 4th season figures will remain the same. If one increase the rear breadth, is it obligatiory to do the same with the bow? I've seen you did that on your.

[Hubac's Historian]

Thank you, Aurelien.  Imperfection is just baked into a piecemeal process, such as this, but results have far exceeded my original expectations for this project.

 

To answer your question, I do not think you can satisfactorily widen the stern without also widening the bow.  None of this is possible without cutting away the lower hull, and you have decided to do that.  This is good.  The problem, if you were to attempt to widen the stern without widening the bow, is two-fold; for one, you would be introducing significant tension to the joint where the stem halves meet, and you would also introduce an unnatural re-curve of the bow deadwood into the stem.  Think of it as though your bow suddenly has cleavage, when really it would be better to remain flat, so to speak.

[shipman]

Been a while since I looked in on this epic.

I wasn't disappointed!

[Hubac's Historian]

Nice to see you back, Shipman!

Edited December 19, 2022 by Hubac's Historian

[John Clements]

Looking at your Sunday post and colour photo of the stern to date, I am just speechless! The colours are so striking and your painting skills second to none. Getting that absolutely clear definition of highlight detail over background in the contrasting shades is quite beyond me, and I suspect many others. Something we all strive for but rarely achieve. It's a real tonic seeing your progress.

I hope you and your family have a restful and enjoyable Christmas and wish you continuing success and pleasure in your project in the new year (and in everything else too, of course)

[Hubac's Historian]

Many thanks, John!  I wish a happy and healthy holidays for you and tour family.

[Hubac's Historian]

The path to enlightenment and a conjectural SR 1670 begins, in earnest, right here:

Merry Christmas everyone! Have a happy and safe holiday.

[popeye2sea]

Nice find!  Looks promising.

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Regards, 

Henry

[Hubac's Historian]

Thank you, Henry!  I hope you had a Merry Christmas, yourself!