Model ex-voto of a ship from the 18th century

Model ship ex-voto, unknown, 18th century

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Num. inventory: 275

Object name: ex-voto (visual religious articles), model ship.

Title: Model ship ex-voto

Object date: 18th century

Author: unknown

Technique and material: wood, cloth, plant fibre, paint, metal.

Ex-votos

Model of a two-decker, 64-gun warship. The model contains 13 disproportionately large figures representing crewmembers scattered across the deck, the shrouds and the tops. The hull is made of a single, hollowed-out piece and weighs about 25-30 kg. There is a lamp at the stern that is decorated with figures. In the very middle is the representation of a monk and an inscription in relief, showing what might be the name of the offeror: “FT. Fco. Barreras”.

The figurehead has a human face and an animal body, with an extended tongue. This ex-voto, from an unknown author, is from the hermitage of Santa Cristina, in Lloret de Mar (Girona) and is dated to the 18^th century.

Maritime ex-votos are a first-hand source of information on the lives, tasks and tools used by sailors and fishermen, as well as on the vessels that were present in our ports for centuries that have now disappeared. Often, the representation of these vessels in painted ex-votos or in the models offered by sailors are the only period representations to survive into our time.