What is the best rigging reference for French ships of the 1700's

[Richard Dunn]

This question is for those doing any of the Monograph's by Ancre and what people think is the best resource for the rigging standards and techniques of these ships.

What is the best rigging reference for French ships of the 1700's?

My interest in particular is Le Gros Ventre, I have the Monograph but want to get some reference for the rigging side of it..

[Dziadeczek]

I am building the French 74 guns ship of 1780, following the four volumes by Jean Boudriot (the third volume talks about rigging). This source is quite good, although there are a few mistakes here and there Jean did not manage to avoid. But they are minor.

I am currently modeling yards, sails and all the running rigging associated with them. Very tedious and time consuming work!

In addition, I have Francis Jonet's "Fitting and rigging a 74-gun model ship", which complements  Jean's books, especially the pictorial part of it. 

 

I am not sure if the monograph on the Gross Ventre is adequate on this topic, but generally those books from Ancre seem to be quite good, detailed and reliable. Certainly good enough to build a model.

[Waldemar]

 

Not quite sure what kind of references you are looking for, in English or in French, modern works or source material, modelling manuals or otherwise. In any case, below is a list of source works, taken (from the rather compact) modern modelling handbook Le gréement des navires anciens (1700–1850). Traité de modélisme naval by Gérard Piouffre, 2005.

 

However, working with Gérard Delacroix's excellent monographs, you may not need to consult the contemporary written works at all, but only the detailed photographs of period models that you will find primarily in these two albums by Jean Boudriot and Hubert Berti:

 

– Modèles historiques au Musée National de la Marine, tome I, 1997 (in French, English and Italian),

– Modèles historiques au Musée National de la Marine, tome II, 2006 (in French and Italian).

 

For more on these albums, see the Ancre website.

 

 

[Richard Dunn]

Thankyou for that.
Yes I will be looking for English publications that go into the in and outs of how the French did things, if any different to The normal I am used to like Serving, and worming etc, not to mention even rope making.

[Keith Black]

 Richard, this is the best build log for a French ship IMHO.  Rigging starts on about page 48. 

 

 

 

Edited November 8, 2022 by Keith Black

[mtaylor]

One reference I have is worth every penny.   The Art of Ship Modeling by Bernard Frolich from ANCRE.  While it doesn't always apply to every French ship, much of it does.  I do find that depending on the ship, there are some differences is "parts".  The rigging section is about 40 pages long.

[Richard Dunn]

Thanks guys, I will do some shopping.