Outstanding diorama of sailing ships in scale 1:87 from Artitec

Hey Cat food, I see you found it as well.

I came across the website of this gigantic diorama a few months ago but completely forgot about it (I wasn’t posting on FSM then).

http://voc.artitec.nl/

I will post a translation later this evening. It’s a very interesting read.

Truly outstanding stuff.  What's the scale?  [Later edit:  Duhhh...well, my wife says I don't have Alzheimer's yet, but I'm showing symptoms of Halfzeimer's.  That may explain why I didn't see the "1/87" in the subject line.]

Quite a few years ago (1987, to be exact) I was lucky enough to get invited to visit Holland, in conjunction with the annual convention of the International Congress of Maritime Museums.  We started out in Amsterdam, then moved the proceedings to Rotterdam.  Several things impressed me indelibly on that trip:  the friendliness of the Dutch people, the fact that just about everybody over there speaks English (pretty humiliating for an American who can barely struggle through a little French and even less German), the remarkable architecture, and the breadth and depth of the Dutch maritime tradition.  In both the National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam and the Prince Hendrik Museum in Rotterdam, I was impressed by the quantity and quality of the marine art - including the ship models among other things.  (I also remember a delightful, small museum on the history of the Dutch fishing trade, in a little building a few blocks from the Rotterdam waterfront.)  I fear Americans in general aren't conscious of what a wonderful tradition, and what a wealth of artifacts, exist in Holland.  I'd love to have the chance to go back.

Thank you for the kind words. I really appreciate them.

This is a translation of the Dutch website about the construction of the diorama “The anchorage at Texel”

Words marked by (*) can’t be translated into English because they are pure Dutch words of names and/or places.

Part 1/11: Home

Artitec is building the biggest historic sea diorama ever: “Celebrating four hundred years of VOC”

(VOC = Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie = Dutch East India Company)

Thanks to the Foundation “Celebrating four hundred years of VOC”, ABN AMRO, Euronext, Fugro, Heineken en IHC Caland.

“The anchorage at Texel”

One hundred ships on a calm sea, a forest of masts, sails and flags, 4000 sailors, officers and civilians, a village with two hundred houses behind a dyke and a fortification. All this will form the large maritime panorama “The anchorage at Texel” measuring 18 by 4 meters (54 by 12 ft). Special effects and documentation will add an extra dimension. The scene is situated in the year 1665, a time of disaster as well as glory, the time of ‘de Ruyter’ and ‘Tromp’, the time of diplomacy, adventure and entrepreneur, the time of the VOC.

(Willem van de Velde the elder)

(Willem van de Velde the younger)

The Seventeenth Century marine painters Willem van de Velde the elder and the younger came up with the idea of making detailed portraits of individual ships, thus being able to paint any conceivable panorama.

This idea inspired present day modelers to build a three-dimensional variant.

(Willem van de Velde aboard his own boat)

Primary sources used for the design of the model ships were the, almost photo like, drawings of Willem van de Velde (both the elder and the younger) combined with contemporary building specifications of ships. Accuracy of the design process was constantly being checked by making pictures of the models and comparing these with the historic drawings. This way, although very time-consuming, it was possible to reconstruct the old ships. However, the construction of one hundred very detailed and realistic ships set in an equally detailed landscape demanded unorthodox methods. These methods consist of the fabrication of plastic parts from which molds are retrieved thus being able to use resin as primary source of building material (instead of wood). Sails are made from paper, plastic or cloth and most of the rigging is done in brass.

(miniature of Willem van de Velde making a sketch aboard his boat)

As part of celebrating 400 years of VOC in 2002, the first part of the diorama will be put on display at the parliament building in The Hague. The main theme of this part is VOC. At the end of April 2002 the panorama will be moved to the Nautical Museum (Scheepvaart museum) in Amsterdam. At Texel the panorama will get its final destination, close to the former anchorage it depicts. In 2003 and 2004 the remaining parts will be added depicting navy, fishery, WIC (Dutch West India Company) and European trade.

This is a translation of the Dutch website about the construction of the diorama “The anchorage at Texel”

Words marked by (*) can’t be translated into English because they are pure Dutch words of names and/or places.

Part 2/11: Plattegrond diorama (Map of diorama)

Why a diorama of the “Anchorage of Texel”?

The diorama will provide an overview of nearly all ship types of the Seventeenth Century. This was the time of the VOC, WIC, the trade on the Baltic Sea and the naval battles under command of de Ruyter and Tromp. In this age Amsterdam became the trade center of the world. It became our ‘Golden Age’. The diorama shows us what once must have been quite a sight: one hundred ships, hundreds of sails, thousands of men on deck and aloft, a grey sea and a Dutch village in the background.

The ‘Anchorage of Texel’ was a place where the ships from the cities of the Republic moored, loaded and offloaded goods and where they formed convoys before setting out to sea. It was also a sheltered base for the warships of the admiralties of Amsterdam, Noorderkwartier (part of Holland) and Zeeland (Province of the Republic). During times of war the anchorage was also a refuge for the merchant and warships of the southern part of the Republic.

The reconstruction of ‘Anchorage of Texel’ consists of three parts:

Part 1

Main theme: a VOC fleet preparing to sail out to open sea. This part of the Texel coast shows the fortifications. During the national celebration of 400 years VOC this part will be on display at the Houses of Parliament.

Part 2

Main theme: the navy. This part will be finished in 2003 and shows half of the village of Oudeschild(*). Will be unveiled at Texel.

Part 3

Main theme: European trade and fishery. This part will be finished in 2004 and shows the rest of the village of Oudeschild. Will also be unveiled at Texel.

Each part of the diorama measures 6 by 4 meters (18 by 12 ft). Together the whole diorama will measure 18 by 4 meters (54 by 12 ft). The first part of the diorama looks and functions as a finished one. The later additions will enhance the first part and make the diorama complete.

(computer animation of the models of the Hollandia (*), Molen (Windmill) and Heemskerck (*) near the Dutch coast.

This is a translation of the Dutch website about the construction of the diorama “The anchorage at Texel”

Words marked by (*) can’t be translated into English because they are pure Dutch words of names and/or places.

Part 3/11:  Historische kaart (Historic map)

projectgebied = depicted area

This is a translation of the Dutch website about the construction of the diorama “The anchorage at Texel”

Words marked by (*) can’t be translated into English because they are pure Dutch words of names and/or places.

Part 4/11:  Informatie bronnen (Sources of information)

Sources and methods.

In the Seventeenth Century ships weren’t built according to construction drawings. So, reconstruction of these ships has to be done with the help of specifications, artistic drawings, archeological evidence and the expertise of the modeler.

Accuracy is constantly being checked by laying pictures of the model over the drawings of Willem van de Velde.

The following pictures of the warship ‘Beschermer’ (Protector) show us how the process approximately worked.

Picture 1

The artistic drawing of the ‘Beschermer’ by van de Velde. Van de Velde used some artistic techniques to make perspective less distorting and thus creating a more realistic appearance; the stern is somewhat tilted and the bow is raised from the surface of the water.

Picture 2

This picture of the model of the ‘Beschermer’ is concentrated on the stern of the ship.

Picture 3

This picture of the model concentrates more on the side.

Picture 4

This picture is combination of the previous two and shows the raised bow.

Picture 5

This picture shows picture 4 projected on picture 1. This technique shows the errors in the model as well as in the drawing. By correcting the errors the interpretation of the drawings is improved and thus creates ever better models.

Some examples of errors. The stern of the model matches fairly well at the waterline and at the top, the middle though is not wide enough. The bulwark of the model at A is not high enough. Van de Velde made a perspective error in placing the gun port lid at B. This seems to be some sort of weak point of the van de Velde’s considering the fact that they frequently changed the gun port lid positions on numerous drawings. Finally the curvature of the beak head bulkhead at C. The curvature is presumably exaggerated to better show its position. In drawings of the front of the same ship the bulkhead is not nearly as round as depicted here.

This is a translation of the Dutch website about the construction of the diorama “The anchorage at Texel”

Words marked by (*) can’t be translated into English because they are pure Dutch words of names and/or places.

(reconstruction of the ‘Hollandia’)

Part 5/11:  The ‘Hollandia’ (*)

Launched 1665

Dimensions: length 165 (Dutch) feet, with 41¾ feet, depth 15¼ feet en 82 guns.

History: ordered by the admiralty of Amsterdam and build at Amsterdam’s admiralty dockyard as part of a 24-ship program since a new war with England was looming on the horizon. The ‘Hollandia’ was the Republics largest warship in 1665 and acted as flagship for the admirals de Ruyter, Tromp, van der Zaan, de Haan, Sweers en van Stirum.

The ship took part in the following sea battles:

-          Four Days Battle

-          St. James's Day Battle

-          Raid on the Medway

-          First Battle of Schooneveld

-          Second Battle of Schooneveld

-          Battle of Texel

After the Third Anglo-Dutch War ended the ship was laid up at Amsterdam until 1683. She then took part in the Voyage to Gothenburg but on the way back she found herself in a terrible storm which was so severe that she lost her beak head and bowsprit and finally her masts had to be cut. The stern began to come loose and slowly the ship began falling apart. Because they fired distress signals the entire crew was finally able to leave the ship safely. Moments later the only eighteen year old ship with her glorious career sank to the bottom of the sea near the coast of the north of the Republic.

The hull and other parts are constructed according to drawings.

Bow and beak head.

Drawing and model of the stern.

Copy of the model made of resin.

The model is painted in an ochre base color.

Several painting techniques imitate different materials like oak wood.

Primary colors are painted.

Further details are added.

The ‘Hollandia’ by van de Velde.

The rigged  model.

This is a translation of the Dutch website about the construction of the diorama “The anchorage at Texel”

Words marked by (*) can’t be translated into English because they are pure Dutch words of names and/or places.

Part 6/11:  De ‘Beschermer’ (The Protector)

Launched 1665

Dimensions: length 141 ¾ (Dutch) feet, width 36 ½ feet, depth 14 feet, no fore castle, 54 guns.

History: like the ‘Hollandia’ she was ordered by the admiralty of Amsterdam and build at Amsterdam’s admiralty dockyard as part of the 24-ship program. Financing was done by the VOC however.

The ship took part in the following sea battles:

-          Four Days Battle, breaks through the English line and captures the ‘Seven Oaks’.

-          St. James's Day Battle, destroys an English burner.

-          Raid on the Medway, acts as flagship for Thomas Tobias, captures the ‘Royal Charles’

-          Battle of Solebay

-          First Battle of Schooneveld

-          Second Battle of Schooneveld

-          Expedition to Martinique

-          Voyage to the Caribbean commanded by Jacob Binckes.

The ‘Beschermer’ was the Dutch flagship at the Battle of Tobago. The much stronger French squadron failed to conquer the island and suffered heavy losses. The Dutch did so also but the ‘Beschermer’ survived. A new French squadron was more successful when they attacked the second time. This time the ‘Beschermer’ with reduced crew acted as floating battery and was captured after the fortress on the island was blown up by a direct hit in her gunpowder magazine. The French weren’t very lucky with their captured ship; on their way home most of the squadron, including the ‘Beschermer’, struck a reef and perished.

The ’Beschermer’ is a typical Dutch warship from the second half of the Seventeenth Century. Her career however was not.

jtilley wrote:

Truly outstanding stuff.  What's the scale?  [Later edit:  Duhhh...well, my wife says I don't have Alzheimer's yet, but I'm showing symptoms of Halfzeimer's.  That may explain why I didn't see the "1/87" in the subject line.] Quite a few years ago (1987, to be exact) I was lucky enough to get invited to visit Holland, in conjunction with the annual convention of the International Congress of Maritime Museums.  We started out in Amsterdam, then moved the proceedings to Rotterdam.  Several things impressed me indelibly on that trip:  the friendliness of the Dutch people, the fact that just about everybody over there speaks English (pretty humiliating for an American who can barely struggle through a little French and even less German), the remarkable architecture, and the breadth and depth of the Dutch maritime tradition.  In both the National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam and the Prince Hendrik Museum in Rotterdam, I was impressed by the quantity and quality of the marine art - including the ship models among other things.  (I also remember a delightful, small museum on the history of the Dutch fishing trade, in a little building a few blocks from the Rotterdam waterfront.)  I fear Americans in general aren't conscious of what a wonderful tradition, and what a wealth of artifacts, exist in Holland.  I'd love to have the chance to go back.

bryan01 wrote:

Hey Cat food, I see you found it as well. I came across the website of this gigantic diorama a few months ago but completely forgot about it (I wasn’t posting on FSM then). http://voc.artitec.nl/ I will post a translation later this evening. It’s a very interesting read.

This is a translation of the Dutch website about the construction of the diorama “The anchorage at Texel”

Words marked by (*) can’t be translated into English because they are pure Dutch words of names and/or places.

Part 7/11:  De ‘Oranje’ (The Orange)

Launched 1643

Dimensions: length 170 (Dutch) feet, width 38 feet, depth 14 feet, with orlop deck

History: Build in Zeeland for the Zealandian department of the VOC based in Middelburg. Trade ships build in Zeeland were in general the largest ships of the Republic due to the less shallow water in that area. They measured approximately 700 tons without orlop deck and 1200 tons with orlop deck. The ‘Oranje’ was part of a group of large 170 feet VOC ships. She made nine voyages to the Dutch Indies which were mostly uneventful.

The Admiralty of Zeeland leased the ‘Oranje’ to take part in the Battle of Lowestoft commanded by Bastiaan Senten. After the explosion of the ‘Eendracht’ (Concord) there was chaos in the Dutch fleet and some ships tried to retread. The ‘Oranje’ however stayed on her post thus providing cover for the retreating ships. Several large English ship turned their guns onto the ‘Oranje’ and, although fighting furiously, was literally shot to pieces killing most of her crew. Eventually she was taken by the enemy but not before the Dutch managed to retread safely. A remarkable feat for a ship that wasn’t even designed as a warship. Most other VOC ships didn’t serve their purpose very well and Lowestoft was therefore the last major battle in which VOC ships participated.

(first phase of construction; the block model)

Part 8/11:  De ‘Nagelboom’ (The Clove tree)

Launched 1659/1660

Dimensions: length 143 (Dutch) feet, width 34 ½ feet, depth 15 feet.

History: the ship was bought in 1659 in Zaandam (*) as hulk for 24.750 guilders. It was then finished at the VOC dockyard of Hoorn for the Hoorn department of the VOC. She made two voyages to Batavia (now Jakarta, Indonesia). On the way home of the last voyage she was sold to the Enkhuizen (*) department of the VOC.

In 1665 the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier (*) leased the ship from the VOC to strengthen the Dutch fleet and therefore was fitted with 52 guns. During the Battle of Lowestoft the English took the ship without much effort. She was however retaken by a Frisian squadron during the Four Days Battle one year later. After that, the ship disappears into history. The ‘Nagelboom’ was a typical example of the smaller kind of trade ships.

Prominent feature of the ship is a carving of the clove tree (Seventeenth Century depiction). In the background a hilly Moluccan landscape with clove trees on the slopes. Above the gun ports a painting of the city of Enkhuizen.

Hey Reklein,

So did I. Therefore I've ordered a DVD on which it is all shown. Only €15,00 including shipping. I'm looking forward watching it.

This is a translation of the Dutch website about the construction of the diorama “The anchorage at Texel”

Words marked by (*) can’t be translated into English because they are pure Dutch words of names and/or places.

Part 9/11:  De ‘Amste-lant’ or ‘Amstelland’ (*)(area surrounding Amsterdam)

Launched 1660

Dimensions: length 142 (Dutch) feet, width 33 feet, depth 15 feet.

History: the ship was built in 1660, presumably at the Peperwerf (Pepper docks) in Amsterdam for the Amsterdam department of the VOC. She made only one voyage to Batavia. On the way back the fleet took refuge in the Bay of Bergen, Norway, because of the outbreak of the Second Anglo-Dutch War. In this bay they were attacked by an English squadron. The fleet managed to escape from the attack however and sailed to the Republic. Probably because of bad weather the ‘Amste-lant’ ran aground on the beach of the Frisian island Terschelling (*) and perisched. Most of the cargo however was saved although the fate of the crew is largely unknown. The ‘Amste-lant’ was a typical example of the smaller kind of merchant ships.

The reconstructed stern of the ‘Amste-lant’. Only a frontal view drawing of the ‘Amste-lant’ is known to exist. Research by J. Blom, archivist of the Water Board Amstel, Gooi en Vecht at Hilversum, revealed the coat of arms of Amstelland as it probably looked like in the Seventeenth Century. The arrangement of the windows and statues of the stern is typical of VOC ships built in Amsterdam around 1660. The drawing of the frontal view of the ship shows pretty well what the statues around the stern looked like. The carvings on the stern itself however are an approximation.

This is a translation of the Dutch website about the construction of the diorama “The anchorage at Texel”

Words marked by (*) can’t be translated into English because they are pure Dutch words of names and/or places.

Part 10/11:  De ‘Heemskerck’ (*)

Launched 1638

Dimensions: length 106 (Dutch) feet, width 24 feet, depth 9 feet.

History: the ship was probably built at the Peperwerf (Pepper docks) in Amsterdam for the Amsterdam department of the VOC in 1638. The ship was one of the smallest pursuit ships (or yacht). She was relatively heavily armed and fast but could still carry a fair amount of cargo. Primary duties of these kinds of ships were reconnaissance, escorting and shipping cargo in Asian waters.

The ‘Heemskerck’ is especially known for carrying Abel Tasman on his expedition to Oceania where he discovered Australia and New Zealand. These small yachts usually never returned to the Republic, she received a place in the diorama nonetheless. In 1665 she would however be considered an old ship. Ships of that age are known to have survived that long. The model was reconstructed according to drawings made by Ab Hoving and Cor Emke.

This is a translation of the Dutch website about the construction of the diorama “The anchorage at Texel”

Words marked by (*) can’t be translated into English because they are pure Dutch words of names and/or places.

Part 11/11:  De ‘Molen’ (Mill or Windmill)

Launched 1656

Dimensions: length 100 (Dutch) feet, width 22 feet, depth 11 feet.

History: the fluyt (flute) ‘Molen’ was built in Hoorn for the Hoorn department of the VOC in 1656. Just like the small yachts these fluyts stayed in Asian waters and were mainly used for transports between various trading posts.

The fluyt was invented in Hoorn and quickly gained popularity and was thus the most common built ship type of the Seventeenth Century. The fluyt was a real workhorse. They were used as whalers, warships and merchant ships. Speed, low cost price, large volume, narrow deck and small crews were the main advantages. The VOC fluyts were fitted with a beak head.

The ‘Molen’ struck a reef and perished of the coast of Ceylon in 1658, she did however receive a place in the diorama. The model was reconstructed according to drawings made by Ab Hoving and Cor Emke.

reklein wrote:

bryan01, From where did you order the DVD of the diorama.? I suppose its in Dutch too. I have some german speaking freinds but I doubt if its close enough. Are the ships all developed from the Van de Veldes drawings? Anyways could you ssend me an adress for the DVD? Please?

I ordered the DVD from this website:

http://www.dereedevantexel.nl/nederlands/frameset_modelbouw/dvd.php

Unfortunately, as you already guessed, it’s only in Dutch. Dutch is significantly different from German, the images however speak for them selves.

m60a3 wrote:

Bryan, thank you for doing all that translating and posting. That was very kind of you.

You’re welcome. I’m afraid not many people know exactly how powerful the navy of the Republic of the Seven United Provinces really was and how much influence Dutch shipbuilding had on other European countries. I thought it deserved some attention.

For more information see this webpage:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Dutch_Wars

It provides for some interesting reading.

Byan01, Yes thanks for the translation. I looked at the site to order the DVD but think I'll pass. I can understand some of the instructions because of all the cognatives but the rest is beyond  me. However I'm also nervous about the security. The wikipedia site is also very interesting. So much history, so little time.

On another note, my current build is a concord style stage coach in 1/8"=1" for a local museum,followed by a Columbia river system sternwheeler,the Lewiston era 1880. That in 1/4"=1'.