Dutch Slave Ship — 17th–18th C. Transatlantic Trade Model (31 in / 80 cm, Western Red Cedar)

The 31-inch edition of the Dutch transatlantic trading vessel — the same subject built at a scale that supports considerably more structural and rigging detail.

Plank on frame in western red cedar, laid one plank at a time over a wooden frame. At this size the gun ports, deck arrangement and rigging are built out individually rather than simplified.

Specification

• 31 in / 80 cm
• Plank-on-frame hull in western red cedar
• Three masts and bowsprit with full hand-knotted standing and running rigging
• Hand-stitched linen sails on every yard
• Gun ports with cast cannon, ship's boats, capstan, gratings, ladders and rails
• Metal anchors and wooden rudder
• Solid wood base with engraved brass nameplate
• Fully assembled

Historical note

Ships of this type crossed the Atlantic for two centuries in the trade that moved more than twelve million enslaved Africans, of whom roughly 550,000 were carried in Dutch vessels. The hull form is that of an ordinary armed merchantman of the period — the same design used to carry sugar, timber and manufactured goods.

We list this as a historical record rather than an ornament, and it sits most naturally in an educational, research or museum setting.