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Dating back to the very reaches of time, building tall ship models seems as old as the ocean itself. The early waters of Mesopotamia is where the art of shipbuilding calls its birthplace. With the advancing technology of shipbuilding, builders made model ships they would use as blueprints. Using tall ship models helped a client to visualize and adjust a boat to his liking, without having to remake the life-size boat. Accurate measurements could be provided by the model ship in a time where advanced mathematics was unavailable to aid shipbuilders. The earliest record of model ships came from the tombs of ancient Egypt. Ancient Egyptians believed the dead needed ‘spirit ships’ to guide them to the afterlife, and would craft model ships to place in their tombs. The higher one’s status in the culture, the larger the model ship’s size. Pharaohs even had entire ships buried with them. Crude clay model ships were found in Bronze Age ruins. The real-life ships were most likely canoes made out of hollowed-out logs. The Greeks were more active in making tall ship models than their Roman cousins, and created wood and clay models. Warships commanded a great majority of the Greek’s model ship making fascination. Model ship building served burial, decorative, and entertainment purposes in these times. As an art and pastime, making tall ship models bloomed in the early 1600’s. Sea travel became extremely popular, and this era was marked by a drastic increase in European countries sending out ships to explore. To pass time, sailors and prisoners alike would carve model ships out of wood or bone. Churches commissioned the creation of more model ships to bless the full-sized version, but most were sold for food or money. Until the ship was lost at sea or decommissioned, churches would hang the model ships from the rafters, a reminder to pray for the men aboard her. The Dutch Golden Era paintings reveal that artists and painters bought models to us in nautical pieces. These paintings required model ships to be as accurate as possible.Teams of craftsman labored to accurately create large models. Britain’s 18th century naval boom resulted in a great interest in ships, and consequently, model ships. The waterways were ruled by Dutch and British trading companies. India and China were far destinations for these trading expeditions, and model ship building was helped spread through an exchange of ideas. When captured by the powerful British navy, prisoners were prone to carving model ships out of bone and wood. When British ships with prisoners pulled into port, it was not uncommon for patrons to supply them with a bit of ivory or ebony to carve more authentic models. With this interest, model ship building was recreated as an art form. England boasted the greatest population of model ship builders. The first model ship building club was formed in London. During World War II, model ship building was made more accessible by kits that became available. In the modern day, all sizes of models are created for leisure and sale. The hobby has since become widespread around the globe.
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