Scale: 1:33. A contemporary full hull votive model of an armed Dutch East Indiaman (circa 1657). The model is decked, equipped and rigged, with ‘Anno 1657’ carved into the stern decoration. At this scale, the model represents a 28-32-gun ship measuring 107 feet in length by 23 feet in the beam and an approximate tonnage of 240 burden. The rigging is largely original although it includes some features such as the shape of the mast caps, which suggests an earlier date.

The custom of hanging ship models in churches was widespread in many seaports and small fishing harbours of Europe. These ‘votive’ models were necessarily robust, poorly proportioned and were often somewhat clumsily built. Accuracy was less important for these models because they were suspended well above head height. They were built to remind the congregation whence their prosperity came and of the dangers faced by seafarers. A typical feature of these models is the wavy line painted on the lower portion of the hull to indicate the waterline.