Upon entering the exhibit,
visitors behold the bow section of Marie Antoinette's pleasure
barge that cruised the Grand Canal at the Palace of
Versailles.
By Bob Jackman
SALEM, MASS. -- "," a striking exhibition of French maritime
history, is currently on display at the Peabody Essex Museum
featuring 175 works with a distinctly French decorative flair. A
wide selection of works from the fine arts, decorative arts and
folk art offers visitors many opportunities to locate objects
matching their interests.
Peabody Essex maritime curator Daniel Finamore commented, "In
terms of floor space, this is the largest exhibition ever
presented at the museum. There is plenty of room to move among
the artifacts and an opportunity to observe an object from all
sides. There is not a tight path through the show. We want
visitors to develop their own themes and freely select the
objects that they perceive as connected."
The Musee National De la Marine in Paris organized a traveling
exhibition to internationally display the collection while its
museum building is being renovated. The first venue was the Musee
de la Civilization in Canada. The Peabody Essex show has many of
the objects displayed in Canada, but it is also liberally
substituted with other works from the Musse National de la Marine
that better suit New England interests.
Ship Models
"The Ocean," a 118-gun vessel, 1790. Model boat, dockyard
model, wood, copper, vegetable fiber, ivory.
Ship models on display demonstrate exceptional craftsmanship and
extreme attention to mechanical systems. The large scale of these
models -- 1:12 rather than the more common 1:20 -- more
effectively conveys the grand size of the original ships. Another
distinctive aspect of the model collection is the use of open
views, cutaway views and sometimes even an absence of sheathing
to show rib and timber structures of a ship. These are models of
ship interiors as well as exteriors, and the museum visitor has
the opportunity to garner some glimpses of interior ship spaces
and systems.
From an American perspective the most stunning models are those
depicting ships not seen on this continent. While galleys
disappeared from America with the Vikings, galleys dominated
Asian and European seas from the Third Century BC (massive Indian
teak galleys) through to the Seventeenth Century.
Visitors who behold the nine-foot-long model of the galley
Dauphine will be struck with the power and sleekness of
the vessel. Each side of the vessel has a bank of 29 oars. These
are not one-man oars, however; six prisoners pulled each oar.
While getting a galley of this size into motion was likely an
arduous process, once underway, with the power of 348 rowers and
sleek lines of the hull, the ship was probably swift. The vessel
is also a strikingly beautiful object.
Some models such as the Protecteur represent a class of
ship. It typifies the large, 64-gun square-rigged French warships
that served during the Seven Years War (1756-1763). Historically
these were the ultimate version of the ships that drove galleys
from the high seas. While galley combat depended upon ramming the
galley bow into the side of an enemy vessel, these sail powered
vessels disabled and sank rival ships with cannon fire from a
distance. From an American perspective, the Protecteur is
also interesting as a precursor to the first American warships in
the late 1770s.
The most splendidly ornate ship model on exhibition, perhaps in
the world, is the Dauphin Royal. The stern of this model
is more ornately carved and gilded than an opera hall. As with
most French models, the names of the craftsmen are bot known,
although it is confirmed that this model was made in the
Rochefort shipyard. A full-sized ship with this configuration was
never constructed as the model was created as an educational tool
for Louis XV's son Louis, Dauphine de France (1729-1765).
Some models also embody both naval evolution and bureaucratic
compromise. The corvette Jeanne d'Arc was
constructed as the dawn of the modern steam-powered steel vessel
(mid Nineteenth Century), and its model captures that moment in
ship development. Its most revolutionary feature is a concave
bow, a feature more commonly seen a century later. The model
also, however, has many dualistic features that represent
compromises between traditionalists favoring wooden sailing
vessels and revolutionaries expounding the virtues of steel ships
and steam power.
Cutaway elements of the model are particularly effective in
demonstrating these dualistic systems. For example, the hull is
traditionally constructed from wood and sheathed with steel and
copper to protect against enemy bombardment and insect
infestation. Power is supplied by sails and also by a steam
boiler. To gain tactical position in battle, the ship used steam
power, and to conserve oil when sailing on the open sea, the ship
unfurled its sails. Weaponry included traditionally mounted
cannons that could only fire from a broadside vantage and
revolving turret guns that could be fired in any direction.
French Maritime History
Fortunately for Americans, France achieved its greatest naval
presence about the time of the American Revolution. Despite
extensive Atlantic and Mediterranean shorelines, until the
Seventeenth Century French maritime interest was limited to
fishing. During the 1620s Cardinal de Richelieu (1585-1642), a
powerful advisor to Louis XIII (1601-1643), aggressively
advocated naval power and warships were purchased from The
Netherlands and elsewhere. Richelieu also succeeded in
establishing dockyards in Le Harve, Brest and Brourage.
During the reign of Louis XIV (1638-1715), government minister
Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683) led the expansion of French
naval and trade interests. To support French colonization of New
France (now eastern Canada), Colbert established a new port at
Rochefort. By 1681, the French navy had 170 vessels, and it
became a concern to the dominant Dutch and English navies. In
1679, Colbert issued an edict requiring dockyards to produce
scale models of their five classes of ships. The emphasis on
models established by that edict initiated a tradition of
producing the world's finest maritime models, and those models
provide the core of the current exhibition.
The most influential maritime advocate during the reign of Louis
XV was Henri Louis Duhamel du Morceau (1700-1782), a scientist
who became Inspector General of the Navy for the Atlantic and
Mediterranean in 1739. Duhamel's greatest contribution was
developing education programs for marine architecture and
medicine, and he established several educational institutions
devoted to these fields. He used models to facilitate sharing of
technologies between different shipyards and for education. In
addition to continuing Colbert's ship model program, Duhamel also
initiated a model program for the various workshops associated
with shipyard production. That began a tradition of mechanical
models in which the French excel.
In 1740 France began challenging England's domination of the
seas, and by the Seven Years War (1767-1773) the French navy was
a full equal to the English navy. The French Revolution of 1793
disrupted naval programs, but Napoleon would eventually reinstall
them. The French navy has ebbed and flowed over the past two
centuries with large expansions before both World War I and World
War II.
Mechanical Models
The most exceptional aspect of the Musee National de la Marine
collection is its extremely deep collection of models. In
addition to ships, there are mechanical models of shipyard
devices. A grand selection of models is displayed in a
double-width room at the front of the exhibition. Beyond
engineering precision, the models are striking decorative objects
fashioned from the fine woods, veneers and hardware. For example,
the model of the Maritz's cannon drilling apparatus can also be
seen as a beautifully fashioned piece of miniature Baroque
furniture.
Perhaps the two most popular coastal motifs are lighthouses and
windmills. There are no lighthouses in the show, although
included is a rare and mighty windmill of great interest. From a
distance the tall, thin tower with concave sides appears to be a
cross between a windmill and lighthouse. Up close, the visitor
sees that the base is a sawmill with a wind-driven mechanism.
Huge timbers enter the mill through two doors at the front of the
base, and sawn timbers exit through two doors at the rear (closed
on display). The model includes interior mechanisms for
transferring wind energy into sawing motion.
One of the most striking aspects of the model is that the sawmill
base is designed to remain stationary as the windmill tower
rotates. At the interface of the sections is a circular deck with
baluster rail. The outer edges of beams supporting the deck have
initials (NNE, NE, ENE, etc) that indicate points of a compass. A
door over the deck provides access to the rotating upper tower.
All windmill towers rotate to keep their sails facing into the
wind so they capture the maximum amount of wind energy.
Many mechanical models provide answers to questions on early
shipyard practices. For example, today sailboat masts are steeped
by hoisting masts with diesel-powered, steel cranes, while an
Eighteenth Century masting machine model on display depicts a
three-timber crane operated by mechanical power. Materials and
power source have changed, but the process is more similar than
different.
Shipyard models also demonstrate the evolution of marine
hardware. Paddlewheels propelled the first steam-powered vessels.
Ships sailing narrow rivers were pushed by a sternwheel, and
ocean-going vessels had a pair of sidewheels. In naval battles,
rivals could easily blow apart an exposed sidewheel and disable
the opposition. A need was identified for a method of propulsion
that was under water, beneath the hull.
Frederic Sauvage applied the mechanical concept of the screw to
this problem. He created a wooden prototype for a propeller with
a single long blade with a full curvature of 360 degrees, which
is on display. Experiments with Sauvage's models identified
problems with a single blade propeller, and those problems were
solved with the multiblade propellers that are so pervasive
today.
Paintings
Paintings on display extend across a broad range of styles and
subjects. The most distinctive feature of French maritime
painting is the realistic rendering of the human form. The French
developed a tradition of treating each human image as a portrait,
and usually French artists provide more detailed renderings of
human form and faces than seen elsewhere. On the whole, French
maritime paintings tend to be more romantic than English works on
the same subject. The French, however sometimes were more
successful at depicting misery aboard ship as in "La Tempete,"
which captures seasick passengers aboard a steamship.
The most pivotal painting of the exhibition is a huge work
entitled "Le Port de Brest" by Antoine Leon Morel-Fatio that
visually dominates the shipyard room. The beautiful landscape
provides a view of the Brest shipyard, and shows the workshop of
each trade involved in building and outfitting a ship. When
visitors first discover this painting, they search out workshops
using the dockyard models they have been examining. Then after
viewing other models, they return to the painting to find the
image of the associated workshops. This painting becomes a key
for understanding how each craft worked and the path that a
vessel followed as it progressed through the shipyard.
The exhibition also provides insight into the French penchant of
painting each human in a maritime painting as a miniature
portrait. A 95-inch-wide sketch, "Le Combat de La Bayonnaise
Contre L'Ambuscade" by Louis-Philippe Crepin, shows that in
planning a painting he classically drew each figure in the scene
as a naked form so that he could capture natural movement and
form. Crepin helped advance the portraiture standard in French
scenes and established a standard against which other maritime
artists were judged.
Naval battles are a popular subject for maritime paintings, and
the exhibit includes a wide selection of these scenes. Crepin's
"Le Redoutable a la Bataille de Trafalgar" is a fine work of art
depicting the battle of Trafalgar. Interesting details emerge at
close range. A squad of marksmen is positioned in the rigging,
the rope ladders ascending from the deck to the mast. Those
marksmen were specifically shooting at British officers
commanding the deck of the Victory. These were the
marksmen who mortally wounded Admiral Nelson at this battle.
Some paintings in the exhibit have multiple story lines. For
example, Guillaume Descamps' "Le Roi Murate Recompense la Ceres"
depicts a Neapolitan king who boarded the ship Ceres to
distribute rewards among the crew after they had repelled a
British attack. In the foreground, however, medical treatment is
administered to injured sailors. This is one of the few early
Nineteenth Century paintings depicting medical practices aboard
warships.
A few paintings in the exhibit may offend American maritime
collectors who desire realistic renderings of ship life. For
example, Julien Le Blant's (1851-1930) "Equipage dans une
Batterie" depicts gunning crews at mess in a grand space with
Vermeer-like enveloping light across the scene. Cruise ship
passengers would like to have so much elbowroom. American
maritime specialists emphasize that life below decks was crowded,
dank, wet and moldy.
Other Artifacts
Many other fascinating artifacts are presented. As visitors enter
the exhibition, they are greeted by the bow section of Marie
Antoinette's pleasure barge that cruised the Grand Canal at the
Palace of Versailles. A nude maiden holding a lobster is held by
a gilded serpent against the rail of barge. Her torso rests on an
ornately carved and gilded shell supported by two other serpents.
The white, graceful barge hull softens and balances the opulent
carvings. It is a memorable object.
Splendid folk painting and carving decorate a Seventeenth
Century sailor's chest with interior lid painting from the
Eighteenth Century.
The most striking piece of furniture is a Seventeenth Century
sailor chest with a carved and painted front and sides. In the
Eighteenth Century the interior of the lid was painted with a
folk art religious scene that is consistent with the early
decoration.
Scuba divers will be thrilled to see the original scuba tank that
Jacques Cousteau helped to invent during World War II. At that
moment in time, scuba gear was intended for navy frogmen;
inventors, however would soon realize its wider potential in a
world at peace. The shiny chrome tank has an Art Deco appearance
that jars one to recall that World War II occurred during the Art
Deco period.
The Peabody Essex Museum offers a blend of art, architecture and
culture. It is one of New England's largest museums, with renown
collections of maritime art and history, American decorative art,
folk art, portraits, costumes and furniture; Native American art;
art from Africa and art from China, Japan, Korea, India and
Oceania. It also displays one of the world's largest and most
important collections of Asian decorative arts produced for the
west.
These collections are set amid one of the nation's premier
ensembles of early American architecture. The museum owns four
National Historic Landmarks and several properties on the
national Register of Historic Places. Three of these homes are
open daily for tours, offering a unique look at life, decorative
art, and culture in Colonial and Federal-era America.
The museum is open Monday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm;
Sunday, noon to 5 pm. General admission is $10 for adults; $8 for
seniors and students 17 and older; and free for children 16 and
under. Ticket house tours are $6. For information, 800-745-4054
or www.pem.org.
