This impressive, handcrafted model replicates the France II, one of the largest and most elegant tall ships ever built. Constructed with painstaking attention to detail, the hull is planked in alternating tones of polished wood, accented with finely cast brass embellishments, lifeboats, and ornamental motifs along the gunwale. The rigging is complex and abundant, with a full set of hand-tied lines, blocks, and cotton sails spread across five towering masts. A piece of this size would take a skilled craftsman between 90 – 120 hours to complete.
Launched in 1911 at the shipyards of Bordeaux, France II was a French steel-hulled barque designed for cargo from New Caledonia. At nearly 147 meters long, she was a marvel of marine engineering and the largest ship on Earth when it was built. She had an astonishing 45 sails spread across five masts, with a total sail area of over 6,300 square meters—making her one of the largest and most powerful tall ships ever built – a last gasp of wind-powered grandeur before the age of steam took over.
Dimensions:
W: 34″
D: 10″
H: 36″
