Dutch yacht by henry x - RESTORATION

[henry x]

Can anyone give me any info of a Dutch yacht called Prince of Orange have a feeling it might have been a state yacht

 

Henry x

[Charter33]

This might help - there was an oil painting by Jan Abrahamsz. Beerstaten that has a vessel of that name as the central image, viewed from the stern, slighly to port.

Sold by Sotheby's, N.Y. on the 29th January 2020. I can't attach an image, but it can be viewed in the auction catalogue, Lot 24.

[bruce d]

Hello Henry, can you narrow down the date a bit? Anything else you know will help to get the right craft.

Bruce

[Charter33]

The Sotheby's catalogue notes say it was the Royal Yacht of William ll which was completed in 1647, athough originally intended for his father. The notes also mention another painting of the same vessel, by the same artist, that is now in the collection of the Boston Fine Art museum.

[Charter33]

Just found it! - on the museum's website, last page (7) of the 'Nautical' section. Similar stern view, but this time slightly to starboard. 

[henry x]

Have actually bought one for spare or repair and the quality is outstanding and judging by what I see I think it must have been a kit the ad said vintage and it's quite a large one maybe rare. Won't come till next week  but will certainly need help with the rigging. Another question is which section will I post it in.

 

Charter33 would be helpful if you could post a link I'm not very good with computers.

 

Henry x

Edited February 20, 2021 by henry x

[Charter33]

Not so good with the things myself either!

Hope this works .........

 

Sotherby's site

 

https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2019/master-paintings-evening-sale/jan-abrahamsz-beerstraten-dutch-ships-at-anchor-in

 

Fine Arts Museum - Boston

 

https://collections.mfa.org/search/objects/*/Yacht of the Princes of Orange and Other Ships

 

Cheers,

 

Graham.

[henry x]

Graham

Many thanks for the links they work perfectly.

Small problem the stern of the model has a brass plaque on it with the name prince of orange and differs from the paintings so I don't know where I am .  Will post Picts of the model tomorrow when I find the restoration section.

Once again many thanks.

 

Henry x

[mtaylor]

Henry,

Post the pics of it here then when you have enough info and start the resoration, open a log in the Scratch area and the key word "Restoration" to the title.

[henry x]

Well "The time has come the Walrus said" 

But just before i should let you know all my life i have been involved in aviation both real and aeromodelling and have built a few ships in my time  both real and models so i'm not new to modelling. When it comes to a model such as this my knowledge is next to zero in fact there are things on this model i don't even know the name of. There are 12 photos i will post but they will be stuck together i have read on the forum how to post with a space in between but for me that's too much hassle i'm afraid that i am in the wrong end of life's spectrum and by the time i figure it out i might not be here. Will post  3 threads with 4 photo's which might be more pleasant to look at than 12 stuck together so it's over to you experts and others sit back and enjoy

[henry x]

Next 4

[henry x]

Last 4

I think underneath the dirt and grime and tangled rigging there is is a nice model waiting to be excavated and with your help it can be brought back to it's former glory.

Cost of this operation well it cost me exactly 1 penny less than a bottle of the wife's whisky.

Hope you enjoyed the photo's

 

Henry x

Edited February 21, 2021 by henry x

[wefalck]

Obviously, whoever built the model spent quite a bit of effort on it. However, there are couple of features that are strange:

 

- these side-gallerie I have never seen on such a small ship like a staten-jacht

 

- the row of fire-buckets get in the way of the helm that normally ran in a kind of double floor underneath the cabin

 

- the figure-head sits on the stem and not in front / on top of the galion (it may been displaced actually, when damaged)

 

- the anchor arms are not right, the flat should be vertical, not horizontal

[henry x]

Wefalk firstly let me say thank you for showing interest you seem to be the only one so far.

What you say I have no doubt you are correct like I said earlier my knowledge of such ships is very limited.  Although I see them in the photograph it did not register until you mentioned the words fire-buckets and that rang a bell do you know I have seen this model  before may not have been this exact one  but the same model I remember the fire-buckets they were all in a line  don't ask me where or when maybe when I was building the yacht Mary wish I could remember.

Now let's hope we can agree that you don't have to work for NASA to accept this model is built from a kit the quality of the fittings should tell people that (if I am correct) which now raises the question who was the manufacturer and made when.  The ad did say vintage 17" long but I don't think that includes bowsprit if that's what's it's called (I know that's what it is called on a galleon) will know better when the model arrives and no doubt there will be other things incorrect or missing just like the rudder.

I did see a model from Corel 22" I think a state yacht can't remember the name should have book marked it. I do think this model was produced in the days before we had computers or the internet hence the faults but only my thoughts, size might help to date it.

I'm quite sure someone in this forum will know but the problem with forums is the ones who really know stay silent.

 

Henry x

[wefalck]

I don't think this is kit-build model, doesn't quite look like it.

[henry x]

Then tell me where the fittings came from and who made them

 

Henry x

[wefalck]

Most of them look pretty 'home-grown' to me and bits and pieces can be sourced here and there. Whoever made the model, seems to have had certain artisanal capability, but evidently did not know too much about ships in general and this type in particular. The model is a bit incongruent in the sense that there are well-executed details, say the cabin-roof, the rails and so on, while others are pretty crude, such as the windlass or the anchors.

[allanyed]

Henry

It looks to be a mass produced decorator piece from the mid 20th century but seems to be a nice vintage piece that many folks would like to have.    Kit makers spend a LOT of time trying to produce something that will result in a good looking and accurate model at a reasonable cost.  Their success varies, but they do work hard to get it right yet affordable.  I don't think they would be as inaccurate as this model appears to be so I agree with Wefalck's assessment.

Allan

[wefalck]

Interestingly, these 'decorator' pieces often seem to use massive wood, rather than plywood for structural parts as typically in kits. They reason may be that their centres of manufacture are or were around the Indian Ocean, say on Mauritius, where they had access to sawn tropical wood.

[henry x]

Allan, Wefalk many thanks 

Sorry i don't know how to make links but please look up Historicships.com/product/yacht-d-oro and tell me what you think, from what i understand it's made by corel not quite the same but very very similar.  Not top of the range as they put it but none the less a kit.

[wefalck]

There are various kits for 'staten jachten' on the market ... some of the kits are/were made in the same regions that produced the 'decorator' pieces. Good quality kits don't come from there anymore.

Not sure, what you are up to. Do you want to identify a kit on which your specimen may have been based on ?

 

I gather you would have to clear your mind, what you want to do with your 'wreck': do you want to restore to what it may have been once, namele a 'decorator' piece or something like that, or do you want to use it as a basis for a better rendering of such type of ship (I would recommend against that option).

[henry x]

Wefalk

What I would like to do is to restore as it once was being historically correct is really not important to me to do something otherwise I think would be a mistake

 

Henry x

[wefalck]

Then do as you please ...

[henry x]

Wefalk

Not quite sure I understand your last comment or the manner of its intention.

The good news is the model arrived about 1hour ago  will certainly need a good clean and happy to report there is an animal at the bow which looks like a dog with a curly tail which thought was missing I think what might be missing is a small flag pole hoping  someone can tell me regarding the fire buckets there are steps each side which lead to the helm (which would operate the tiller and moves freely ) one side of the cabin roof is loose thinking it might be worth removing it to see if the tiller is in there also the rudder and bowsprit are missing the ratlings are in good condition main mast not too bad. Once clean I will take more Picts.

The first thing I will have to make is a display stand anyone have any ideas it's missing

 

Henry x

[Gregory]

16 minutes ago, henry x said:

thinking it might be worth removing it

I would remove it just to see if there is some hidden treasure inside..🙂

 

I would enjoy seeing updates as you restore this..  It looks like a nice decorator model with an antique look ..

[wefalck]

Well, personally I would not spend my precious time on something of which I know that it is historically incorrect, but this is my personal choice.

[henry x]

Gregory 

I have removed the roof of the cabin but alas there is nothing there. There does seem to be something rattling inside the hull maybe a gold coin if so I'll just keep it there

 

Mark

can I ask you to move the whole post over to the correct section and you can add restoration to the title that way people will see the before and after  many thanks

 

Henry x

Edited February 22, 2021 by henry x

[mtaylor]

Henry, it's been moved.  

[henry x]

Mark

Many thanks for doing that

 

Henry x

[henry x]

Well just a few more picts first thing i will try to do is make a stand for it and you can see i needs a thorough deep clean have also removed some items. I would like to remove the gun carriages one is a bit loose but the others quite firm can i ask is there any solution that might loosen the glue also there seems to be something missing that holds the bowsprit which i don't know what it looks like and there maybe other things that i don't see but you guys will. Any solutions for deep cleaning without damage i think it will take me at least a week the dust seems to be engrained with the paint maybe due it's previous storage conditions the cabin roof seems to be made of card with wood strip along the edge and middle.