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Lot Essay
This rare and extremely fine Navy Board model, with its distinctive unplanked lower hulls and exposed stylised frame timbers, is that of the Coronation; a 90 gun, three-deck warship built by master shipwright Isaac Betts for the Royal Navy Portsmouth dockyard, and completed circa 1685. The model stands as a testament to 17th-century maritime craftsmanship and naval ambition. Three-decked warships - among the largest and most formidable in the fleet - are exceptionally rare in model form, with only a handful of rigged Restoration examples known to survive.
SAMUEL PEPYS AND THE ‘THIRTY GREAT SHIPS PROGRAM’ OF 1677
By the conclusion of the Third Anglo-Dutch War in 1674, the English fleet had fallen into a state of decline. Owing in large part to the advocacy of Samuel Pepys - then Secretary to the Admiralty and himself a keen student and collector of ship models - Parliament was persuaded to remedy the deficiencies by funding an expansion of the Navy. On March 5, 1677, the colossal sum of £600,000 was authorized for the construction of thirty new ships; one was to be a 1st rate, nine were to be 2nd rates - the Coronation being one - and twenty were 3rd rates. The ‘thirty great ships’ of the 1677 building program formed the backbone of the Royal Navy at the close of the 17th century and established the pattern of British naval dominance that lasted over two hundred years. The Coronation was the last of the thirty ships to be built, and Pepys recounts that construction took over five years.1 The ship was launched on April 23, 1685, exactly one month after the coronation of James II and the three cyphers of James II that appear on the ship are emblematic of his royal authority.
The Coronation was the largest ship launched during his reign and fought bravely at the Battle of Beachy Head on June 30th, 1690. A combined Anglo-Dutch fleet engaged the largest French fleet that had ever been put to sea. The Coronation was the flagship of Vice-Admiral Sir Ralph Delavall, who led the Blue division, and she saw fierce action in the engagement. The allied British and Dutch forces fought bravely but ultimately succumbed to superior numbers.
Lavishly adorned with sumptuous Baroque carving, the Coronation was clearly conceived to impress and overawe her rivals at sea. Yet for all her beauty, her appearance scarcely concealed her formidable power as an instrument of war. Her lower deck carried 26 cannons weighing over 2 tons each and capable of firing a 32 pound ball with devastating force at a range over 1⁄3 of a mile. In total she carried over 90 great guns, and the firepower of this single ship dwarfed that of an entire contemporary army.
Throughout the seventeenth century, the Royal Navy’s great ships customarily withdrew each autumn to the shelter of the Thames and Medway, avoiding the dangers of winter seas. In 1691, with war against France ongoing, the Coronation, under Captain Charles Skelton, sailed with the Channel Fleet commanded by Admiral Edward Russell, who vainly sought to engage the enemy. Severe south-westerly winds on 2 September forced a retreat towards Torbay, and by the following morning a gale drove the fleet towards Plymouth. Unable to clear Penlee Point, the Coronation anchored offshore, sprang a leak, and, despite her masts being cut in a desperate attempt to save the ship, she sank in 22 fathoms of water off Rame Head west of Penlee Point, taking 660 crew members and Captain Skelton with her.
PROVEVANCE
The Coronation model was built at the Portsmouth naval dockyard and almost certainly first entered the collection of John Vaughan, 3rd Earl of Carbery, who served as a Lord of the Admiralty (1683–1684) and later as President of the Royal Society, succeeding Samuel Pepys in that role, although Pepys was evidently not a fan, describing him as "the lewdest fellow of the age". Vaughan built a home in Chelsea in 1707, and when he died in 1713 without a male heir, the house and its contents were acquired by Sir Richard Gough.
The model remained at Gough House, Chelsea, descending through the Gough family until 1911, when it was lent by Mrs Anstruther Gough-Calthorpe to the London Museum at Kensington Palace. While on public display, it was examined by Dr R. C. Anderson—one of the foremost naval historians of the twentieth century—who later became Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, and oversaw the re-rigging of the Coronation as it appears today.
Shortly after this was done, in February of 1924, Mrs. Anstruther Gough Calthorpe sold the model to the King Street antique dealer Rochelle Thomas for £1,400. it was subsequently sold to Charles of London and appeared in their New York Gallery in May of 1924. Shortly thereafter, the model was acquired by Max Williams, a leading marine antiques dealer, who sold it to Junius S. Morgan III. A grandson of J. P. Morgan, Junius Morgan was an ardent maritime enthusiast and yachtsman, and exhibited the Coronation in his 45-room mansion, “Salutation,” at Glen Cove, New York, where it remained until his death in 1960. His widow, Louise Converse Morgan, sold the house and its contents in 1974, and the model was subsequently offered at Sotheby’s, in a sale held on the premises on 30 May 1974, where it was acquired by the present owners.
UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CORONATION MODEL
Listed as model number 25 in Henry Culver’s Contemporary Scale Models of Vessels of the 17th Century (op., cit.), the Coronation remains in remarkable condition retaining its original masts, tops, and the majority of the original yards guns and fittings, including the distinctive spherical stern lanterns. It is unquestionably a masterpiece of 17th-century craftsmanship and displays a number of remarkable features for a post-Restoration three-decker.
A particularly unusual, apparently unique, feature is the row of fixation points between the gunports along the planking of the middle gun deck, modelled as lion mask gargoyles. These have recently been identified as attachment points for fire booms - long poles used to keep incendiary vessels at a safe distance from highly combustible warships – and are delineated in an unfinished drawing by Van de Velde of the Duchess in the collections of the National Maritime Museum, London (NMM1216).2 The catastrophic loss of the 100-gun first-rate Royal James to fireships at the Battle of Solebay in 1672 prompted King Charles II to order that all first- and second-rate ships under the Act of 1677 be fitted with such defensive measures. Their depiction on the Coronation model is significant, as no other known Navy Board model incorporates these features.
Elaborate entry ports, adorned with crouched lions carved over the canopies, are present on both the port and starboard middle decks - an unusual detail, as most 2nd rates and even some 1st rates featured only a single port-side entry. Winding staircases connect the side gangways to both the poop and quarterdecks. Additionally, there is an unusual twisted, covered staircase leading from the quarterdeck to the upper deck, tucked beneath the gangway on the port side. Entry to this staircase is through an intricately decorated arched companionway.
Before the invention of the steering wheel in the early 18th century, ships were steered using a whipstaff. This model is the only known example of a 17th-century three-decker fitted with such a mechanism. This example is complete with a pivoting rowel through which the long whipstaff passes, the lower end of which is linked to the tiller via a metal crank. From this confined position, the helmsman had no direct view of the ship’s course and relied entirely on instructions relayed from the captain or master two decks above.
The magnificent gilded stern is richly adorned with rows of cherubs, foliate balustrades, and figures astride dolphins framing the upper gallery. At its centre is a royal coat of arms flanked by the lion and unicorn, while the taffrail is embellished with cupids riding hippocamps and others standing upon dolphins that support a crowned shield bearing the King’s cypher. Garter Stars are applied to the topside frieze planking and catheads, and a striking lion figurehead attended by cupids clinging to its mane. The profusion of gilded carving on this model has been compared to the fully rigged model of the 1st rate Prince of 1670 at the Science Museum in London (Object No.1895-56⁄2). For a 1:48 scale Navy Board model of an unrigged, two-deck 5th rate ship of circa 1710-24, see Christie’s, London, 19 November 2003, lot 245 (£663,750 inc. premium).
Christie’s would like to thank Simon Stephen, Curator of Ship Models and Small Boats at the Royal Museum Greenwich, and Richard Endsor for their assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.
1. Samuel Pepys, Memoirs Relating to the State of the Royal Navy of England, for Ten Years, Determined December 1688, London: Printed for Ben Griffin, 1690, p. 62.
2. See Richard Endsor’s forthcoming publication for a discussion of the introduction of fire booms by King Charles II and their portrayal on the Coronation (Endsor, R., The Lost Navy Ships of Charles II’s Navy, Understanding the Seventeenth-Century Warship, Osprey Publishing, August 2026).
SAMUEL PEPYS AND THE ‘THIRTY GREAT SHIPS PROGRAM’ OF 1677
By the conclusion of the Third Anglo-Dutch War in 1674, the English fleet had fallen into a state of decline. Owing in large part to the advocacy of Samuel Pepys - then Secretary to the Admiralty and himself a keen student and collector of ship models - Parliament was persuaded to remedy the deficiencies by funding an expansion of the Navy. On March 5, 1677, the colossal sum of £600,000 was authorized for the construction of thirty new ships; one was to be a 1st rate, nine were to be 2nd rates - the Coronation being one - and twenty were 3rd rates. The ‘thirty great ships’ of the 1677 building program formed the backbone of the Royal Navy at the close of the 17th century and established the pattern of British naval dominance that lasted over two hundred years. The Coronation was the last of the thirty ships to be built, and Pepys recounts that construction took over five years.1 The ship was launched on April 23, 1685, exactly one month after the coronation of James II and the three cyphers of James II that appear on the ship are emblematic of his royal authority.
The Coronation was the largest ship launched during his reign and fought bravely at the Battle of Beachy Head on June 30th, 1690. A combined Anglo-Dutch fleet engaged the largest French fleet that had ever been put to sea. The Coronation was the flagship of Vice-Admiral Sir Ralph Delavall, who led the Blue division, and she saw fierce action in the engagement. The allied British and Dutch forces fought bravely but ultimately succumbed to superior numbers.
Lavishly adorned with sumptuous Baroque carving, the Coronation was clearly conceived to impress and overawe her rivals at sea. Yet for all her beauty, her appearance scarcely concealed her formidable power as an instrument of war. Her lower deck carried 26 cannons weighing over 2 tons each and capable of firing a 32 pound ball with devastating force at a range over 1⁄3 of a mile. In total she carried over 90 great guns, and the firepower of this single ship dwarfed that of an entire contemporary army.
Throughout the seventeenth century, the Royal Navy’s great ships customarily withdrew each autumn to the shelter of the Thames and Medway, avoiding the dangers of winter seas. In 1691, with war against France ongoing, the Coronation, under Captain Charles Skelton, sailed with the Channel Fleet commanded by Admiral Edward Russell, who vainly sought to engage the enemy. Severe south-westerly winds on 2 September forced a retreat towards Torbay, and by the following morning a gale drove the fleet towards Plymouth. Unable to clear Penlee Point, the Coronation anchored offshore, sprang a leak, and, despite her masts being cut in a desperate attempt to save the ship, she sank in 22 fathoms of water off Rame Head west of Penlee Point, taking 660 crew members and Captain Skelton with her.
PROVEVANCE
The Coronation model was built at the Portsmouth naval dockyard and almost certainly first entered the collection of John Vaughan, 3rd Earl of Carbery, who served as a Lord of the Admiralty (1683–1684) and later as President of the Royal Society, succeeding Samuel Pepys in that role, although Pepys was evidently not a fan, describing him as "the lewdest fellow of the age". Vaughan built a home in Chelsea in 1707, and when he died in 1713 without a male heir, the house and its contents were acquired by Sir Richard Gough.
The model remained at Gough House, Chelsea, descending through the Gough family until 1911, when it was lent by Mrs Anstruther Gough-Calthorpe to the London Museum at Kensington Palace. While on public display, it was examined by Dr R. C. Anderson—one of the foremost naval historians of the twentieth century—who later became Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, and oversaw the re-rigging of the Coronation as it appears today.
Shortly after this was done, in February of 1924, Mrs. Anstruther Gough Calthorpe sold the model to the King Street antique dealer Rochelle Thomas for £1,400. it was subsequently sold to Charles of London and appeared in their New York Gallery in May of 1924. Shortly thereafter, the model was acquired by Max Williams, a leading marine antiques dealer, who sold it to Junius S. Morgan III. A grandson of J. P. Morgan, Junius Morgan was an ardent maritime enthusiast and yachtsman, and exhibited the Coronation in his 45-room mansion, “Salutation,” at Glen Cove, New York, where it remained until his death in 1960. His widow, Louise Converse Morgan, sold the house and its contents in 1974, and the model was subsequently offered at Sotheby’s, in a sale held on the premises on 30 May 1974, where it was acquired by the present owners.
UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CORONATION MODEL
Listed as model number 25 in Henry Culver’s Contemporary Scale Models of Vessels of the 17th Century (op., cit.), the Coronation remains in remarkable condition retaining its original masts, tops, and the majority of the original yards guns and fittings, including the distinctive spherical stern lanterns. It is unquestionably a masterpiece of 17th-century craftsmanship and displays a number of remarkable features for a post-Restoration three-decker.
A particularly unusual, apparently unique, feature is the row of fixation points between the gunports along the planking of the middle gun deck, modelled as lion mask gargoyles. These have recently been identified as attachment points for fire booms - long poles used to keep incendiary vessels at a safe distance from highly combustible warships – and are delineated in an unfinished drawing by Van de Velde of the Duchess in the collections of the National Maritime Museum, London (NMM1216).2 The catastrophic loss of the 100-gun first-rate Royal James to fireships at the Battle of Solebay in 1672 prompted King Charles II to order that all first- and second-rate ships under the Act of 1677 be fitted with such defensive measures. Their depiction on the Coronation model is significant, as no other known Navy Board model incorporates these features.
Elaborate entry ports, adorned with crouched lions carved over the canopies, are present on both the port and starboard middle decks - an unusual detail, as most 2nd rates and even some 1st rates featured only a single port-side entry. Winding staircases connect the side gangways to both the poop and quarterdecks. Additionally, there is an unusual twisted, covered staircase leading from the quarterdeck to the upper deck, tucked beneath the gangway on the port side. Entry to this staircase is through an intricately decorated arched companionway.
Before the invention of the steering wheel in the early 18th century, ships were steered using a whipstaff. This model is the only known example of a 17th-century three-decker fitted with such a mechanism. This example is complete with a pivoting rowel through which the long whipstaff passes, the lower end of which is linked to the tiller via a metal crank. From this confined position, the helmsman had no direct view of the ship’s course and relied entirely on instructions relayed from the captain or master two decks above.
The magnificent gilded stern is richly adorned with rows of cherubs, foliate balustrades, and figures astride dolphins framing the upper gallery. At its centre is a royal coat of arms flanked by the lion and unicorn, while the taffrail is embellished with cupids riding hippocamps and others standing upon dolphins that support a crowned shield bearing the King’s cypher. Garter Stars are applied to the topside frieze planking and catheads, and a striking lion figurehead attended by cupids clinging to its mane. The profusion of gilded carving on this model has been compared to the fully rigged model of the 1st rate Prince of 1670 at the Science Museum in London (Object No.1895-56⁄2). For a 1:48 scale Navy Board model of an unrigged, two-deck 5th rate ship of circa 1710-24, see Christie’s, London, 19 November 2003, lot 245 (£663,750 inc. premium).
Christie’s would like to thank Simon Stephen, Curator of Ship Models and Small Boats at the Royal Museum Greenwich, and Richard Endsor for their assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.
1. Samuel Pepys, Memoirs Relating to the State of the Royal Navy of England, for Ten Years, Determined December 1688, London: Printed for Ben Griffin, 1690, p. 62.
2. See Richard Endsor’s forthcoming publication for a discussion of the introduction of fire booms by King Charles II and their portrayal on the Coronation (Endsor, R., The Lost Navy Ships of Charles II’s Navy, Understanding the Seventeenth-Century Warship, Osprey Publishing, August 2026).