Half Model of a Screw Steamer 1859

The Rijkswerf Vlissingen crafted this half model of a screw steamer, a silent promise of maritime innovation. The ship, a vessel of transit, immediately calls to mind the mythical ship piloted by Charon, ferrying souls across the river Styx. Indeed, the ship motif is an ancient symbol of transition, a vessel navigating the perilous seas of fate, from the Viking longships carrying warriors to Valhalla to the argosy that brought Jason and the Argonauts home with the Golden Fleece. In ancient Egypt, funerary boats carried the deceased pharaoh to the afterlife. Each shares the fundamental idea of the voyage, a quest, a journey from one state to another, a concept deeply embedded in our collective psyche. This half model, though static, channels our deep-seated fascination with passage, with the psychological voyage we undertake throughout our lives, propelled by the subconscious currents of memory and desire.