Malta's galley

[franceso sbarile]

The galley has been the undisputed ruler of the Mediterranean Sea for almost 400 years.Direct descendant of the Greek and Roman ships has fought an infinite number of naval battles and small battles especially during the period of expansion of the Ottoman Empire.The apex of these battles was certainly Lepanto (1571).

where the galleys of the knights from Malta contributed significantly to the defeat of the sultan's fleet.In the following century especially Venice and Malta continued to use galleys to oppose the corsairs of the Ottoman fleet.I started from the idea of setting a Malta banner-holder on a seventeenth-century galley and inserting a gunwale culverine in this scene but ... there are no 75mm-scale naval culverins . So I started looking for documentation about naval artilley of the period, then a cut an appropriate size street lamp from spare parts, complete it by a cannon mouth also from spare and a plastic cylinder to close the rear of the culverine. Some more brass wire, copper plate, trinkets, and a small brass thin plate with engraved leaves complete the piece. Hope you enjoy it and I will proceed to the next step
Cheers
Francesco

 

[Oda]

Francesco this is a fantastic idea!What figure are you going to use?

Oda.

 

[franceso sbarile]

Hi Oda, this one

https://shop.bestsoldiershop.com/epages/14739.sf/it_IT/?ObjectPath=/Shops/14739/Products/BEST_75015

with some minor changes.
Cheers
Francesco

 

[Oda]

Hi Oda, this one

https://shop.bestsoldiershop.com/epages/14739.sf/it_IT/?ObjectPath=/Shops/14739/Products/BEST_75015

with some minor changes.
Cheers
Francesco

This is going to be one handsome vignette indeed!!!!!Lots of pictures please!

Oda.

 

[franceso sbarile]

some steps forward, I glued on the base of the naval modeling strips to simulate the deck of the ship, then I marked with a marker the separation between the boards and simulated the nails that held the boards nailed to the structure.
I passed some biting mahogany and then I washed with black.
Then I cut into the plywood a small parapet treated as the bridge and finally I placed a lantern in the corner and the colubrina, on its own pin, to complete

 

[Oda]

It looks better and better with each step you take Francesco.Can't wait to see it finished!

Oda.

 

[Sergei]

Looks very impressive, but the parapet seems to be too low for this figure. I think it should be waist high or even higher.

 

[franceso sbarile]

Looks very impressive, but the parapet seems to be too low for this figure. I think it should be waist high or even higher.

You are right, and indeed also I had this idea, however I had a look to a galley in the sea museum in Genoa and the parapet looks to be very low.

In any case I will think about an higher parapet.
Thank so much to you and Oda.
Francesco

 

[Sergei]

Many thanks for this absolutely fascinating picture which I have not seen before. It is true that the parapet (I am sure there is a special term for this, railing or something like that?) in the bow section of the galley is very low. But it seems to me that people, especially high-ranking officers, were not supposed to hang around in that area. You also do not want to attach any falconets there because their crew would obstruct the operation of the main gun which is so prominent in the picture. As far as I can tell, the falconet and lantern in your miniature suggest that your figure is standing next to bulwark which would normally be of the same height as the waist-high railing at the stern of the galley in your picture (next to the figure in a red cap) or the bulwark in this miniature, which you are probably aware of:
https://www.amazon.com/Masterclass-Miniatures-Agostino-Barbarigo-Miniature/dp/B009JW66DA

Good luck with your exiting project.


Sergei

 

[franceso sbarile]

Thank you to you Sergei for your precise analisys , I think to fix the parapet ( or whatever is the specific name) to a proper height.
Hope you will follow again the next steps of my little work.
Cheers
Francesco

 

[Landrotten Highlander]

Based on your picture, I think this type of vessel is similar to that of the leur de Lis (see http://gerard.delacroix.pagesperso-orange.fr/galere/plaquette.htm). Very interesting vessel, I have bought the plans and am intended to build model of this vessel some time in the near future.

Slainte.
L.H.

 

[franceso sbarile]

Based on your picture, I think this type of vessel is similar to that of the leur de Lis (see http://gerard.delacroix.pagesperso-orange.fr/galere/plaquette.htm). Very interesting vessel, I have bought the plans and am intended to build model of this vessel some time in the near future.

Slainte.
L.H.

Correct, the "fleur de lys", as the almost contemporary "le Royale", are the top evolution at the end of XVII century of the concept of galley. The oar propulsion as well as the triangular sails that allows to sail with not constant winds get this kind of ship very suitable to the mediterranean sea up to the coming of the gallions the following century.
Hope to see your galley, i like a lot also naval modelling.
Cheers
Francesco

 

[Nap]

Francesco

What a great idea for a piece , very impressive modelling already

I can only imagine fighting on these ships !

Following with much interest

Thanks for sharing

Nap

 

[vincenzo]

Francesco!! what a fantastic subject!!!! I love it so so much!!!!

 

[franceso sbarile]

Francesco

What a great idea for a piece , very impressive modelling already

I can only imagine fighting on these ships !

Following with much interest

Thanks for sharing

Nap

Francesco!! what a fantastic subject!!!! I love it so so much!!!!

Thank so much people !!

 

[franceso sbarile]

Now some more work on figure and ship. I raised the gunwale (thanks Sergei) and add some decoration and a malta's emblem on the rear side (it must be finished) , begin to paint the lower part of the figure. Hope you enjoy it.
Cheers
Francesco

 

[Viking Bob]

I thought I had commented on this, obviously not. What a back drop to a lovely figure. Great workmanship. A real beauty.

 

[arj]

Very nice work on the presentation.
Look forward to seeing the figure develop.

Cheers,
Andrew

 

[Edorta]

It looks very well so far. I follow.

Military miniatures painted by Eduardo Garcia

 

[KenBoyle]

Amazing project/build! It looks fantastic.

Cheers,
Ken