Ships, Folk Art, and Whimsey in Bottles

This is a very rare, unusual, and interesting folk art scene depiction that was hand-made an estimated 60 or more years ago by an unidentified individual, perhaps a sailor or a dock worker who obviously knew ships and their rigging. This diorama shows a large 5 masted ship, the "SeeAdler" anchored outside a large city, probably in Germany. This ship's hull is painted red on the bottom and white on the top. The ship has both standing and running rigging, with the standing rigging made from black thread and the running rigging in white thread which would be correct since standing rigging was "tarred" to protect it and give it longer life as well as help the sailors grip. Another notable feature is that the middle spars are crafted as double spars which is rarely done on these models because of the increased time and difficulty in constructing. There are several cabins and hutches on the deck of the ship. The rigging appears to be in good shape -- not as taut as it would have been when first made but in wonderful condition for its age. The masts and spars are in good condition but are in a more turned position than they probably were when the bottle was first crafted. In addition to the "SeeAdler," there are 4 tugs or diesels in the bottle: one in the neck of the bottle, one in front of the ship, one running aside the "SeeAdler," and one in the rear of the bottle. These boats are similar in color, each having red and black hulls, white decks and cabins with red roofs. 3 of the tugs have a single smoke stack and one has 3 stacks. All the tug/diesels have billowing black smoke coming out of the smoke stacks. There is a smaller boat running aside the large ship that is similar to the tugs but it does not have a smoke stack, mast or raised cabin. Behind this boat is a smaller schooner with three masts and 4 sails. All the ships in the bottle are flying the black/red/yellow German flag. Behind the ships is a large city scene that extends from the front to the back of the bottle. In total, there are 17 separate buildings, all painted in white with black doors and windows and red roofs. Most of the buildings are painted so that there appears to be several homes going up the hill or mountain. In addition to the houses, the is a large windmill and a building with a small steeple. The workmanship of the mountain, houses and the sea bed is somewhat crude and not very detailed. Some of the green mountain clay is on some of the buildings but the overall scene is very compelling and makes a wonderful diorama to display and enjoy. The bottle is an unidentified 3 liter bottle with a light green tint that adds to the interest. The bottle is approximately 49.5 by 10.8 centimeters or 19 1/2 inches long by 4 1/4" wide. The bottle has a very pronounced dimpled or inverted bottom and is sealed with its original screw cap. The cap is painted green and the end of the bottle neck is painted white with a circle of red. The bottle rests on a fairly simple stand painted green with ends that are cut to fit the contour of the bottle.