l'Illustre

BUILT BY G. VOOIJS

Details

l'Illustre
Built by G. Vooijs
An extremely fine and detailed 1:72 scale museum display quality Navy bought style, fully planked and rigged model of the French naval 74-gun ship l'Illustre, built by Mr G. Vooijs, from lines taken from 'Le Vaisseau de 94 canons' by Mr Jean Boudroit, with bound masts, yards with stun's'l booms and foot ropes, standing and running rigging of left and right hand round ropes as appropriate, with scale blocks, many with sheaves, deck details included, carved warrior figurehead, hair rails, with rope decoration, anchors with bound wooden stocks, catheads with sheaves, deck rails, belaying rails and pins, rope coils, cleats, capstan, stove pipes, lockers, ship bells, balustrading, companionways, water barrels, poop deck staircase, chicken coops, stern lanterns, further details included, partially planked decking revealing main and upper deck, with guns in carriages, with tackle, shot racks and delicately carved stern gallery decoration, glazed stern and quarter windows, and three carved planked ship boats in a tier, each with framed, bottom boards, thwarts and oars, and many other details. The hull unplanked below the waterline to reveal accurately cut framing, finished in matt varnish with open gun ports, and French standard
86.5 x 109cm.

Lot Essay

Several vessels named l'Illustre have served in the French fleet and the ship which carried this name during the second half of the 18th century was one of the celebrated '74's' (i.e. they carried 74-guns) which formed the backbone of the French and British Navies until the end of the Age of Sail. Whilst her active carreer was quite long, her most significant service took place off the Indian Coast during the American War of Independence in which France had allied herself to the American colonies in the hope of gaining territory at England's expense. The two commanders in Indian Waters - Vice-Admiral Hughes and Commodore Suffren - fought each other on five occasions between February 1792 and June 1783 although their respective fleets were so evenly matched that there were no decisive victories on either side. The final encounter, off Cuddalore on the Coromandel Coast on 20 June 1783, actually took place five months after the preliminary peace had been agreed in Europe but the news of the armistice had not reached India. Illustre was also in service during the Napoleonic Wars but does not appear to have been present at any of the major fleet actions

This model was awarded the World Championship in Rastatt in 1983 and in Rouen in 1985, and the European Championship in Hengelo in 1989

See colour illustration and back cover illustration

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