Considered a pinnacle artform of the ship modeling craft, bone ships made by prisoners during the Napoleonic Conflict are among the most collectible maritime artifacts to be identified. This British Third Rate Warship, H.M.S. CONQUEROR is a fantastic model of carved workmanship. It has a sharp three-masted ship's rig, and much of the original rigging. The warship shows an exceptional amount of custom carvings, especially the elaborate quarter galleries and the ornate polychrome painted Grecian warrior figurehead with combed helmet.
Beautifully detailed and proportioned, the model is in excellent condition. The hull is very finely pinned with two full decks of cannon. Counting these with the upper deck guns there is a a total of 78 copper cannons on bone carriages. The deck of laid bone planks, with carved rails, gratings and skylights adds to the fine detail touches such as the capstan, galley chimneys, bell, and water casks. The three masts have traditional fighting platforms and bone spars with detailed running and standing rigging. The ship is complete as it rests on an ornate base of boxwood and bone with turned ivory posts, all set under a quality mahogany and glass case.
H.M.S. CONQUEROR was modified from the MARS Class in 1795 and built by the Graham Yard in Harwich from the design of Henslow. Her dimensions were 176' with a 144'3" waterline, 49' beam and a 20'9" depth. In her prime she'd be manned by about 590 men, and she sailed into conflicts throughout the Napoleonic Campaigns. She was broken up in 1822.
