Hello from Switzerland! Mystery model identification

[Nix]

Hello everyone!

Nix from Switzerland here!

My uncle recently gave me a model ship, it was purchased by my grandmother at an auction around the 70s and restored at the Swiss museum of transport later. According to them it might be a votive ship (which could mean contemporary to the model represented), but they didn’t have more information. There are lots of flags depicted on it but I couldn’t find them on google.

Here she is:

Some details:

And the flags:

Does anyone have an idea on the model (looks like some kind of carrack to my untrained eyes) or have information on the flags? Maybe you can also notice some crafting details that might help situating it in time?

Thanks for your attention, I hope I’m in the right section for that!

 

 

Edited August 12, 2023 by Nix
Unwanted picture at the end of the message

[allanyed]

If you do a search here at MSW you will see a lot of these old decorator models which have virtually no monetary value.  They are interesting as they are approaching 100 years old and if you like it, that is the most important thing.  It is not an accurate model of any real ship but the value is whatever owning it means to you, so enjoy it.

Allan

[Thunder]

Votive models were built, usually by one of a crew from a real ship, and hung in churches to give luck to their ship whilst at sea. They are not usually accurate as more symbolic.

[druxey]

If a votive model, on would usually find hooks or rings for suspending it from in a church. Allan's assessment is, I think, correct. However, it is more charmingly done than most of the examples of decorative models that we see on this site.

[Keith Black]

 Nix, welcome to MSW. Glad to have you aboard. 

[davyboy]

Hi Nix,

 

I can confirm what Allan says. However although it's of little or any value it's a nice example and certainly worth keeping.

 

Dave 

[ccoyle]

I strongly suspect that the rigging is not original to the model. Decorator models typically have rigging that is as fanciful as the rest of the piece. It looks to me like a previous owner re-rigged it and tried to make it somewhat more reflective of actual practice, although it is apparent that certain aspects of the model hindered his efforts, as can be seen, for example, with the stays at the mast tops.

[Bob Cleek]

I concur with the above posters. It's a particularly charming "decorator" model that may have some nominal value as an antique at this point, assuming someone has a place for it in their interior decoration scheme. It's probably of German or Spanish origin from the first quarter of the 20th dentury and made for the export market. It is decidedly not an "ex-voto," "church ship," or "votive model."  The very few authenticated votive models contemporary to the period of your model are much more simply crafted, if not downright crude when compared to than your model. Additionally, your model exhibits a significant number of obviously mass-produced parts made with tooling that would not have been available to the average sea-going builder-donor of an actual votive model. Note particularly the many accurately turned pieces that indicate the use of a lathe, metal castings, especially the anchors and figurehead that are of cast metal, and (brass?) nails and escutcheon pins. It's highly unkikely that a 15th century European seaman giving thanks for a safe voyage would have access to such tools and materials.

 

 

The 15th century "Mataro" votive model in the Maritime Museum in Rotterdam, Holland. See: Model Making History; Matar� - the Oldest Museum Model (lifeinscale.net)

[mtaylor]

Welcome to MSW, Nix.   You mention that it was restored or repaired by the Swiss Museum of Transport.  Have you tried contacting them?  You'll probably need some information such as when it was done and any other paperwork.

[Nix]

Thank you very much for your welcome, all these information are a goldmine for me!

I’m not really looking for the monetary value of that ship, im more interested in the history behind it like where it comes from and how it ended up in my living room.

The restauration was done by the museum quite a while ago, my uncle told me he didn’t have more information right now but will look if he can find some documents.

What you wrote about the manufacturing is very interesting, after closer examination I spotted a plank that’s probably coming from an old wooden box that was used on a deck: The final mystery for me now lies in the meaning of the flags, especially the main one on the sails; I thought that this combination of colors would be easy to find but it’s the only one that wasn’t really used.

I also struggled to find the many flags on the sides, and the signification of the one on the top of the mast.

Maybe I didn’t have the right vocabulary for the search, I also tried with image search but without success.

Thanks again for your expertise, I’m really impressed by all that knowledge!

Nix

[Keith Black]

 Nix, can you please provide the letters on the box used as deck. I make the last three letters being RAS but I can't make out the letter/letters preceding the R. The mast seems to be placed in what appears to be a sunburst. I have a hunch the word might be Germany and identifying the company logo maybe beneficial. 

[Gregory]

1 hour ago, Nix said:

I also struggled to find the many flags on the sides, and the signification of the one on the top of the mast.

The shields on the side depicts simplified Coats of Arms.   Google tells me they may have been derived from any number of countries.

 

 

The flags may just be whimsical creations of the artist.

[Nix]

Thanks again for all this!

So the flags would be random, but I’m still surprised the maker decided to pick a sail flag that’s unusual, it would have been easier to use the one from the country or region it was made in;

Regarding the logo, it’s likely that it comes from Germany as my grandmother was from there; I couldn’t identify the letter before the r, but it should be an o or a looking at the shape. It seems that the mast is in a sun shape, with sun rays leaving from it. I tried to make a drawing of it: