Bottle 149 - A Sebretti

This incredible rowboat in a bottle was made in the Mediterranean and was designed and built as a presentation piece for extremely good customers of an Italian slate company. This model came from a collection of a marine architect. The boat is made from light and dark natural woods. There are 20 individual ribs attached to a keel forming the hull shape. The hull frame is then covered by individual planks. There are several pieces added to the hull which would have been on a real rowboat of this type. There are bulwarks, 2 seats, and bow and stern platforms. Inside the boat are 2 oars and coiled up anchor rope. There is a rudder with a steering rod mounted on the stern of the rowboat. The rowboat sits on a body of water made from light gray slate. There is a single, large polished round rock in the water and the rowboat is anchored to the rock. The bottle is sealed with a heavy slate "cork." The bottle rests on upright pieces of black slate contoured for the shape of the bottle. These pieces of slate are glued to a large slab of black slate platform. The artist has signed and dated the work of art on the platform. It is signed "Sebretti A 85." The date is possibly "95" or could be "01" written right above a "90." The platform rests in a gray colored hard case picked specifically for this presentation piece. There is a formed sunken area in the case for the slate platform. It is secured to the case with 2 carved pieces of wood going over the end of the platform and screwed to the hard case. The bottle is further secured with a heavy rope going around the front, back and middle of the bottle and is then tied to the wooden boards holding down the platform.