Mechanical Galleon
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| Material | Gilt brass, steel and other materials |
|---|---|
| Size | 78.5cm long and 104 cm high |
| Created | c. 1585. in Augsburg |
| Present location | British Museum, London |
| Identification | M&ME 1866,10-30,1 |
The Mechanical Galleon is an elaborate nef or table ornament in the form of a ship, which is also an automaton and clock. It was constructed in about 1585 by Hans Schlottheim in southern Germany. It was in the possession of Augustus, Elector of Saxony (who would have been one of the model courtiers shown on the ship). The model is now in the British Museum in London. Two other similar models are located in museums in France and Austria.
Nefs were extravagant ship-shaped table ornaments in precious metal that had been popular for some centuries among the very wealthy. Earlier types, such as the Burghley Nef, usually functioned as containers for salt, spices or other things, but the figures on deck in this example leave no room for a function of this sort. It is also mostly made of gilded brass, where earlier royal examples were usually in gold or at least silver-gilt.
In the sixteenth century there was an enthusiasm for clockwork automata, the production of which was funded by potentates including Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor and Suleyman the Magnificent. One of the craftsmen who made these automata was Hans Schlottheim. This particular piece was believed to have been owned by Rudolf II in Prague but recent evidence points to it having been on the inventory of the Kunstkammer of Augustus I, Elector of Saxony in Dresden in 1585.
Hans Schlottheim was a goldsmith and clockmaker who lived from 1547 to 1625. The important development that made these automata possible was the discovery of coiled tempered steel. It was possible to store potential energy in the coiled spring steel to create a portable energy supply. Clockwork was new and would have been regarded as "magic" in the sixteenth century.
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