Model of the Sterns of Two Different Frigates 1831

This is a wooden model depicting the sterns of two different frigates, crafted by an anonymous artist. Ship models like this one were often made during the height of European naval power. Consider the cultural and economic contexts of maritime exploration. Ships were not merely vessels of trade, but symbols of colonial expansion and power, deeply implicated in the transatlantic slave trade. How might the artist's personal position have influenced their perspective? Was this model commissioned by someone involved in the shipping industry, or created as a display of national pride? While the model embodies craftsmanship, it also serves as a reminder of the complex dynamics of global exchange and the exploitation of labor and resources. It challenges us to reflect on the human costs that underpinned the aesthetics of maritime power.