FULLY ASSEMBLED – READY FOR IMMEDIATE DISPLAY
This is not a Ship-in-a-Bottle kit
The ship in a bottle is one of the classic items of nautical décor, as much fun and mystery as it is remarkable craftsmanship. Now you can enjoy an adorable ship in a bottle for yourself or give one as a gift to friends, family, clients or co-workers.
7” Long x 4” Wide x 5” High
- Amazing replica of a historical tall ship
- Real glass bottle authentically styled
- Solid wood base with ship nameplate
The history of ships in bottles is the history of the two major components. Sailors on ships of all sizes and types have used scrap wood, cloth, and rope to make model or toy boats to pass long hours at sea. This model-making dates back perhaps 4,000 years. The Egyptians buried miniature ships with their mummified masters, and the Phoenicians, Etruscans, and Greeks produced models that are shown in wall murals.
The merging of model ships with bottles is a much more recent development, due largely to the poor quality of early bottles. Models of human and heavenly figures were put in bottles as early as about 1750 and may have originated in monasteries, when, again, many quiet hours were available for crafts. Character and puzzle models were put in bottles of flawed glass and of shapes that help date them. When techniques of manufacturing glass improved, glass bottles were clearer, less distorted, and free of bubbles and heavy seams. Today, minor distortions, soft tints, and the antique appearance of hand-blown bottles are seen as advantages.
Model ships were not bottled until about 1850 when the great clipper ships plied the seas from port cities in England and America. These ships had as many as seven masts and many sails for the speeds needed to cross oceans and deliver products and profits. They were also equipped with guns and the large crews of sailors for manning the rigging and weapons. The date of the first construction of a ship in a bottle is unknown; but the patience needed to fold the masts in the bottle was a challenge, and the bottle protected the model. Most of the classic sailing ships have been preserved in bottles and in maritime museums.
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