Model of an 18-Gun Cutter

Entry

Polychromed and rigged model of a cutter with sails, on a stand.

Thirteen of the eighteen original guns have been preserved. The model has a slightly curved stem and a sharp bow. The stern has a square tuck, a large hollow counter with painted decorations, a small taffrail with the ship’s name in a winged cartouche, and davits. Fitted to the raked sternpost a straight, square headed rudder is indicated, with a coat over the rudder head and a wooden tiller with steering tackles. The model has a lower and an upper deck featuring a skylight, a companionway and three hatches, and is equipped with a galley on the foredeck, two stocked anchors, a double capstan, a winch on the knighthead of the mast, two pumps, one bell, one seat of ease and fourteen oars. The sheer rises towards both ends. The model has one wale. The hull is very sharp, trimmed by the stern, and painted white below the waterline. The model has a cutter rig with sails, consisting of a jib, foresail, square foresail, topsail with bonnet and studding sails, a flying topgallant sail and a gaff mainsail with driver. Two damaged tricolours belong to the model.

This model was part of the private collection of Jochem Pietersz Asmus (1755-1837) in 1807, and stood in the model collection of Amsterdam Navy dockyard.³ According to the description it had a launch hanging from the davits aft, and an awning over the entire deck. Asmus described it as the fastest type of British cutters.

Scale unknown.