{"product_id":"a-good-ship-in-a-bottle","title":"a good ship in a bottle.","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ean early 20th century model of a three masted fully rigged sailing vessel, set  inside an early 20th century clear glass bottle. the ship has a carved wooden hull painted in what was known as the chequer board aesthetic, a visual illusion that merchant sailing ships adopted in the 19th century. by painting faux square gun ports on their hulls, merchantmen sought to bluff passing pirates and privateers into believing the ship was heavily armed. as the century progressed the threat from piracy wained. some ship owners retained the scheme as a status symbol, \u003cspan class=\"T286Pc\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);' data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-sfc-cp=\"\"\u003ein the highly competitive 19th-century cargo trade (including the lucrative tea and wool trades), a sharply painted, well-maintained chequer pattern signaled that a ship belonged to a wealthy, prestigious shipping line and was likely very fast.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e the ship has carved wooden masts, yards and spars and is cotton rigged and is flying a painted paper merchant navy red ensign. the ship sailing on a moulded putty sea is \u003c\/span\u003epassing a clifftop lighthouse and two white washed cottages cottages. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003elength ... 300mm x 76mm diameter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ethe ship in bottle as folkart is probably, unfairly the greatest cliche of maritime folkart and as such is often overlooked. the amount of skill , artistry and maritime knowledge can not be underestimated in each creation. sculpting ships in bottles became fashionable in the 19th century ,helped by the introduction of mass produced clear glass bottles, an explosion in maritime trade and the desire to bring home a token , souvenir of travel on the high seas. the genuine sailor art form continued into the early 20th century when finally it fell out of fashion with mariners. an original sailor made ship in bottle served as a poignant reminder of the magnificence of both – the vessels and the maritime domain. the ship in bottle was often given as a token of love or endearment. it would have held pride of place in a loved ones  home. ships in bottles in their heyday were solely the creations of sailors. to own a ship in a bottle would portray to the onlooker that the custodian was associated with an adventurer, a world explorer who would ride the tempest and all that neptune and his sirens could conjure, to get safely back to his love. it would also serve as a message in a bottle to any of the artists maritime peers \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ethat when it came to the sea and who ever may sail , that he really knew what he was talking about.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wild Folk","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57169401348471,"sku":null,"price":165.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0672\/4550\/6795\/files\/IMG_4568.jpg?v=1781217893","url":"https:\/\/wildfolk.net\/products\/a-good-ship-in-a-bottle","provider":"wild folk","version":"1.0","type":"link"}