Studio: international art (88.1924)

ELIZABETHAN SHIPS AT WEMBLEY

exist and contemporary engravings give no
indication as to colour, which is mainly
obtainable from inventories and the few
surviving paintings—most of them in
Holland. But there remain in this country
certain hand-coloured records which are
very informative on this and other matters
and which were invaluable to the writer
in designing the " Arke Royall " and the
other English vessels. Evidence relating
to Spanish ships is less easy to discover,
the most suggestive material being found
among the contemporary plans and dimen-
sions left by Garcia de Palacio. The
relative tonnage of English and Spanish
ships is confusing : the differences in the
systems of reckoning largely discount the
apparent disparity and upset the David-
Goliath myth. The main difference
between the appearance of Elizabeth's
vessels and those of Philip seems to consist
in the fact that the latter were " high-
charged "—having a steep break at the
half-deck and high-steeved beak-heads,
which gave them a more impressive
manner than had our own low-lying craft.

Pictures by modern artists frequently
show the more elementary anachronisms :
such as jibs—which came in over a
hundred years later—or the spritsail top-
mast (which characterised the Stuart
Century) at the bowsprit-end. Topsails
were still almost triangular and compara-
tively small, and the tiny top gallant sail
was not universal, even on the main mast;
whilst the doublings, above the circular
tops, were quite diminutive—like the yard-
arms. The fourth mast, or bonaventure
mizen, was common, especially in large
ships ; and bonnets, laced to the foot of
a course, were still carried—until, halfway
through the seventeenth century, their use
was largely superseded by the re-
introduction of reefs. A discussion of the
flags, which were so important a feature
of these vessels, is outside the scope of
these notes. The principal relative signs
of nationality were the red cross of St.
George and the red saltire ragule of
Burgundy. Sail-painting—especially in
this country—was in its last days, but
red crosses still figured on the Spaniards'
sails. It was the custom for ships,
especially the larger ships, to tow their
long boats, and, in action, they frequently

" a queen's ship." designed

by cecil king, r.i.

stowed spritsails and main courses. The
practice of utilising the stays for " wapps,"
as leads for braces and bowlines, was
characteristic of the period, giving the ship
the appearance of being dotted all over
with blocks and crowsfeet. This practice
died hard and had its survivals well into
the eighteenth century. 000
As the various models, of ancient or
modern ships, were required for use as
stage-properties, they were constructed
accordingly, much detail being omitted.
To the making of them, the help was
enlisted of wood-carvers, moulders, brass-
workers, draughtsmen and riggers, many
of them ex-naval men. Of the painters con-
cerned, Mr. Ernest Dade carried out much
of the rigging of ancient, and Mr. Oswald
Moser, R.I., much of the fitting of modern
ships, assisted for a brief period by Mr.
Harold Hast. The sketches reproduced
here give some indication of the appearance
of three out of the seventy models made
for the Armada episode. 000

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