Object data
wood and brass
model: height 35.5 cm × width 129 cm × depth 40.4 cm
packaging capsule: height 31.5 cm × width 134 cm × depth 45 cm
anonymous
Model of a Gunboat
Netherlands, 1775 - 1825
Provenance
...; transferred from the Ministerie van Marine (Department of the Navy), The Hague, to the museum, 1883
Object number: NG-MC-507
Copyright: Public domain
Entry
Wooden construction model of a flat-bottomed gunboat, mounted on a rectangular baseboard.
The planking below the wales has largely been left off. The bow is round and has two gun ports, the stern is round. In each side there are two additional gun ports. The vessel has one deck, which slopes downward for the two gun ports in the forebody. At the stern a straight broad rudder with a head and a curved hand tiller is specified. One wale is indicated, the sheer rises towards both ends. The frames consist of three parts. Half a mast, half a bowsprit and two channels rigged with four chainplates are fitted on the model. The model has a label with an incorrect catalogue number, 407 instead of 507.1
This type of gunboat was called an ‘uitlegger’ (literally ‘out-lyer’): their role was comparable to that of a floating battery, anchored and heavily armed, stationed outside a river or harbour for defensive purposes. Their sailing qualities were only of secondary importance.
Literature
J.M. Obreen, Catalogus der verzameling modellen van het Departement van Marine, The Hague 1858, no. 507
Citation
J. van der Vliet, 2016, 'anonymous, Model of a Gunboat, Netherlands, 1775 - 1825', in J. van der Vliet and A. Lemmers (eds.), Navy Models in the Rijksmuseum, online coll. cat. Amsterdam: hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.244320
(accessed 8 January 2025 13:35:10).