Model of the Slave Ship De Witte Oliphant
Also titled Model van het slavenschip De Witte Oliphant
1755
- Medium
- iron (metal), rope, wood (plant material), brass (alloy), glass
- Classification
- fully rigged model
- Dimensions
- height 205 cm x length 225 cm x width 77.5 cm
- Museum
- Rijksmuseum
- Rights
- Public Domain Mark, as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
About this work
For a merchantman, this model has a broad hull and unusually tall masts. These features, as well as the decoration of African men on either corner of the stern, strongly suggest that it was used to transport enslaved people. Models of such slave ships are exceptionally rare. It is not known how this one came to be in the Department of the Navy’s collection.
