The ship in the shop: An art history of late medieval ship models

Abstract

This contribution represents an attempt at a first outline of an art history of late medieval ship models and their contexts of use. Focusing on the mid-thirteenth through early sixteenth centuries, an age of rapidly expanding horizons, this study examines the design and role of miniature vessels at the intersection between devotional practices, courtly culture, modes of patronage and technological change. It explores three categories of ship models in particular: ex-voto ships that were presented to a specific shrine after a miraculous rescue at sea or naval victory; nefs, which served as princely table decorations and containers of commodities such as salt and spices; and nefs that, subsequent to their use as banqueting props, were repurposed as devotional vessels that either contained relics or possibly functioned as ex-votos.