Ship model French Soleil Royal of 1669

Scale 1 : 77, length 99 cm, width 45 cm, height 89 cm,
More photos: of entire ship, of details. Click on the photos for high resolution pictures!
Price 3800 Euro, plus transport cost

SOLEIL ROYAL, a famous ship in French naval history

The French SOLEIL ROYAL was named in honour of the Sun KING, Louis XIV. The SOLEIL ROYAL was one of the most powerful warships of her time. She was launched 1669 in Brest and carried 104 cannons. As flagship of the revitalized French Navy, brought into being by Minister of Marine Jean Baptiste Colbert, she was sumptuously decorated with wooden carvings, depicting a variety of motifs emblematic of the French monarch. The taffrail was embellished with a rendering of the sun god drawn across the sky by a team of horses, while the ornate figurehead showed a seahorse flanked by winged maidens.

In July 1690, at the battle of Beachy Head, admiral Tourville led the French fleet of 70 ships to a victory against the united English and Dutch fleet of 57 ships. Two years later the situation was less favorable. On 20 May 1692, at the battles of Barfleur and La Hogue, a French fleet with only 44 ships met the English and Dutch with twice as many ships off Pointe de Barfleur. Some the French ships could escape but the SOLEIL ROYAL was so strongly damaged that she ran aground when trying to escape to Cherbourg. On 23 May 1692 she was destroyed by English fireships.

The SOLEIL ROYAL model, photos, description and dimensions

The ship's hull was painted in royal blue and gold. The decorations are shown in the model in very detail. The ship model was built without sails to allow for a better view on the very detailed, impressive rigging. The model clearly shows the impressive lines of hull and rigging that were typical of ships of that age.
Please take your time to have a good look at the set of photos. There are several views of the entire ship model taken from all directions, and several closer views of hull, deck and rigging. If you click on a photo you will get that photo in high resolution. Only these high resolution photographs show how much work and handicraft ability were put in the model.

Viewing the high resolution photos: If you use Microsoft Internet Explorer or Firefox, press F11 to minimize navigation bars and have a larger screen with the photos. The high resolution photos are about 12 megapixel. So they are about 10 - 20 times larger than your 0.5 - 1.3 megapixel computer screen. Most browsers by default downsize the pictures to screen size, so you cannot see all the details of the ship models. To see the original resolution move the mouse over the pictures and click on the magnifying lens.

The finely worked, detailed ship model is 1 : 77 scale. Length is 99 cm, width 45 cm, height 89 cm.

The ship model stand is provided by two small wedge-shaped pieces of wood beneath the hull, close to the keel. The wedges are fixed to the hull by double-sided adhesive tape.

Price of the ship model and transport

The price of the model is 3800 Euro, plus transport cost.

The ship model is available at my showroom in Recklinghausen. Please contact me, if you are interested in the ship model. Here you find .

Dr. Michael Czytko, Kuehlstr. 31, D-45659 Recklinghausen, Germany,
Tel. +49 2361 59757, Fax +49 2361 29729, email: .
If you come by car, it is easy .