HMS Sovereign of the seas 70
TS012
The 17th Century
HMS Sovereign of the Seas was a 17th-century warship of the English Navy.
She was built by Peter Pett (later a Commissioner of the Navy), under the guidance of his father Phineas, the king is master shipwright, and was launched at Woolwich Dockyard on 13 October 1637.
She was the most extravagantly decorated warship in the Royal Navy, completely adorned from stern to bow with gilded carvings against a black background, made by John Christmas and Mathias Christmas after a design by Anthony van Dyck.
The Sovereign of the Seas was not so much built because of tactical considerations, but as a deliberate attempt to bolster the reputation of the English crown.
A painting from this ship survives on the ceiling of Commissioners House Chatham, over the grand staircase. It depicts an assembly of the gods and depicts Mars being crowned by Neptune, surrounded by the goddesses - Hope, Peace, Justice and Plenty. The painting is surrounded by a gilded frieze depicting sea creatures. It is attributed to Thomas Highmore
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Highlights about this Sovereign of the Seas model ship: