Crynsminiaturen News

[MABO]

A dream! Such a fantastic model once again. Since I saw it on your website the first time, I have this idea in the back of my mind: One day, I would like to create a diorama showing the river harbor of the city of Rome in early Republican times. This ship would fit perfectly, because at that time Rome was already a commercial hub visited by lots of Greek and also Carthaginian merchants.

Great idea, but also lots to do

Perfect model Mr.Cryns.

[C M Dodson]

Beautiful as always.

Your excellence comes as standard.

Best wishes,

Chris

[Crynsminiaturen]

Thank you gentlement for your nice replies.

A dream! Such a fantastic model once again. Since I saw it on your website the first time, I have this idea in the back of my mind: One day, I would like to create a diorama showing the river harbor of the city of Rome in early Republican times. This ship would fit perfectly, because at that time Rome was already a commercial hub visited by lots of Greek and also Carthaginian merchants.

That sounds like a wonderful plan dear sberry.

[Crynsminiaturen]

This year Crynsminiaturen works on three new series in scale 1:72

DR series: Sailors and Watergeuzen of the Dutch Revolt against Spain 1566-1590
NR series: Gallo-Roman riverboats and crew of the Northern Imperial Provinces.
CM series: Ancient Greek fishermen, fishmarket and women at work.

[Crynsminiaturen]

CRYNSMINIATUREN SET DR001 DUTCH REVOLT 1566 SAILORS IN THE MAST

In Nederland we know these sailors best as Watergeuzen. They were a bunch of oppressed Flemish Calvinists, protestant fanatics, pirates, nationalists from Holland and Zeeland, anti-Spanish rebels, French and English adventurers and commercial opportunists. They started an uprising around 1566 against Philips II, King of Spain who ruled the Low Countries. This led to the founding of the Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden which finally became modern Nederland. The outfits of the sailors in these sets cover a much wider range of sailing nations of the period, like the Spanish Armada of Philips II and the English Tudor Navy of Sir Francis Drake.

One of my main sources for designing these handsculpted figurines are the paintings and engravings of Pieter Breughel de Oudere 1525-1569. Here are some test casts in combination with historic reference material.



















This set of 12 different sailors will be available soon.

[steve_pickstock]

CRYNSMINIATUREN SET DR001 DUTCH REVOLT 1566 SAILORS IN THE MAST

In Nederland we know these sailors best as Watergeuzen. They were a bunch of oppressed Flemish Calvinists, protestant fanatics, pirates, nationalists from Holland and Zeeland, anti-Spanish rebels, French and English adventurers and commercial opportunists. They started an uprising around 1566 against Philips II, King of Spain who ruled the Low Countries. This led to the founding of the Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden which finally became modern Nederland. The outfits of the sailors in these sets cover a much wider range of sailing nations of the period, like the Spanish Armada of Philips II and the English Tudor Navy of Sir Francis Drake.

One of my main sources for designing these handsculpted figurines are the paintings and engravings of Pieter Breughel de Oudere 1525-1569. Here are some test casts in combination with historic reference material.

The sailor on the left is wearing a 'thrummed' cap, a sort shaggy affair that appears to have been used by sailors all around the North Sea, and they seem to have been in use from the late 16th, through the 17th century and perhaps even on into the 19th century.

This is an image of a friend of mine wearing his thrummed cap, which was made by another friend of mine

And I think that this is a late16th/to mid 17thC costume.

[k.b.]

Your work is monumental Mr Cryns. Your figures are sooo good that I am tempted to buy an appropriate ship, just to be able to populate it with these formidable miniatures of yours. Congratulations……

[Crynsminiaturen]

The sailor on the left is wearing a 'thrummed' cap, a sort shaggy affair that appears to have been used by sailors all around the North Sea, and they seem to have been in use from the late 16th, through the 17th century and perhaps even on into the 19th century.

This is an image of a friend of mine wearing his thrummed cap, which was made by another friend of mine. And I think that this is a late16th/to mid 17thC costume.

Thank you so much for your contribution dear Steve Pickstock.
Yes your information is right as far as I know.
Very interesting to see this shaggy cap on your image. That looks like woollen twined strings.
I considered it to be animal fur but a late 16th century engraving from Italy shows an English sailor which hat is said to be made of rough felt:

This shaggy cap can be seen in countless images from around 1570 and after. Like costume 1, 5 and 6 in this group of images:

So your contribution is very valuable for me.

Now watch this:
Another source of what costumes looked like is the cover of de Spieghel der Zeevaerdt a Sailors Guidebook made in Enchuysen, Northern Holland, published in 1583:


You can see the shaggy caps worn by three men, two of them colored in blue and one light grey.
Also notice the long, wide trousers of the boy top left.

Only 5 years later, in 1588, the English version was published called The Mariners Mirror. But look at the changes made on the cover:


The late medieval shiptype Carrack / Kraak is still the same, as are the navigation tools.
But the costumes changed considerable. The main large person middle left is replaced by someone looking much more fancy and modern. His shaggy cap disappeared too. The same counts for the two persons top left, including the boy. Kneelength trousers became the idealised fashion.

Is that how fast fashion developed in a period when the Renaissance changed into Barock?
Or is it a difference between English and Dutch fashion?
I get the impression this shaggy cap is considered to be the 'poor mans working headdress' in contrast with the fancy brimmed hats which looks like 'grande tenue' to me.

What do you think, from your British perspective?

[Crynsminiaturen]

an appropriate ship, just to be able to populate it with these formidable miniatures

Thank you dear k.b. that is so nice to hear.
May I ask you, as a Brazilian, if you have Portuguese roots?
I realize the 16th century was, together with the 15th, the Golden Age for Portugese worldwide exploration, trade and colonialism. The Dutch took over many Portugese colonies in Africa and Asia during the early 17th century.
Its a very interesting period for the development of sailed tall ships.
We see the transition from late carracks to early galleons.

[Bessiere]

I watched the movie Master and Commander just last night so it's neat to run across this thread. Cryns has done a marvelous job of capturing sailors in their myriad of tasks. What a complete little society existed within each ships crew. Friendships and rivalries tested over months and years at sea in cramped quarters facing danger from enemies and unpredictable storms. Replete with centuries of tradition their culture is rich in songs and stories. Looking in as an outsider a seaman's life may have been a career of last resort but young noblemen enlisted as junior officers and took to the oceans as well so there was a wide swathe of the populace engaged in the profession. To learn all the nautical terminology and how ships were constructed is a lifelong task. Much of it is overlooked by modern society sadly as their contributions to the world we know today was essential. Kudos to Cryns for his faithful recreation of so much of this lost world.
Cheers,
Bessiere

[Minuteman]

I watched the movie Master and Commander just last night so it's neat to run across this thread. Cryns has done a marvelous job of capturing sailors in their myriad of tasks. What a complete little society existed within each ships crew. Friendships and rivalries tested over months and years at sea in cramped quarters facing danger from enemies and unpredictable storms. Replete with centuries of tradition their culture is rich in songs and stories. Looking in as an outsider a seaman's life may have been a career of last resort but young noblemen enlisted as junior officers and took to the oceans as well so there was a wide swathe of the populace engaged in the profession. To learn all the nautical terminology and how ships were constructed is a lifelong task. Much of it is overlooked by modern society sadly as their contributions to the world we know today was essential. Kudos to Cryns for his faithful recreation of so much of this lost world.
Cheers,
Bessiere

Master and Commander is a super film, and as you observe it is a very good depiction of the close society that existed aboard ship in the far-off days of sail. Having said that, a visit to the WW2 cruiser HMS Belfast, moored in central London as a museum, reminds you how cramped living conditions were on a 'modern' warship for ordinary seamen serving with an increased wartime crew.

I have visited HMS Victory, Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar, on many occasions and again it is a marvel to consider just how close sailors would have been packed together for daily living, eating and sleeping in very close proximity. Indeed, unless you were a very senior officer, privacy aboard would be difficult to find.

The novels of Patrick O'Brian (the source after all for the Master and Commander film) are superb in their interpretation of a naval society 200 years ago; O'Brian, quite apart from being a great story-teller, really seems to have understood all aspects of a life at sea in wooden ships with complicated rigging, and even more complicated traditions and conventions.

[Crynsminiaturen]

I watched the movie Master and Commander just last night so it's neat to run across this thread.
Bessiere

Master and Commander is a super film, and as you observe it is a very good depiction of the close society that existed aboard ship in the far-off days of sail.

Thank you for your nice words dear Bessiere and Minuteman.
That movie was made by my favourite director Peter Weir from Sidney, Australia.
As a teenager I had seen Witness. He also directed Gallipoli, Dead Poets Society, The Truman Show and so many other brilliant movies, all with totally different subjects and moviegenres. But his first featurefilm Picknick at Hanging Rock is still my favourite one.

Talking about sailors and navies of the Napoleonic era: For 2024-2025 I am planning to make Nelsons sailors, as part of a coöperation with Geschichte in Miniaturen. I am sure Wolfgang Meyer will share the development of his project in this forum in the future.

[Bessiere]

When Russell Crowe made his remark during the film about our "little wooden world" he was spot on. I found myself intrigued by how these men worked and lived together and even such things as bad luck being ascribed one officer as a "Jonah" who kills himself in despair. The bits of classical music was Ralph Vaughn Williams from his symphony #4 in D maj if anyone is interested. It is the most bittersweet music and the mark of the pastoralist symphonies. In terms of human interaction it's easy to see how life on a ship would be among the richest of sources for stories. It's a shame we don't have more of them. Master and Commander is certainly a superb movie and while I can't say it is accurate in historical details it certainly conveyed it be so to myself.
Cheers,
Bessiere

[Bessiere]

Thank you Cryns. I will be watching with interest the development of this line of figures from the Napoleonic era.
Cheers,
Bessiere

[k.b.]

“Thank you dear k.b. that is so nice to hear.
May I ask you, as a Brazilian, if you have Portuguese roots?”

Actually Mr Cryns yours truly is actually an Englishman who travelled to Brazil many years ago, met my wife here and ended up staying. When all said and done, as an English teacher I had plenty of work on my hands, the weather here is fabulous and Mother Nature, in particular the beaches are astonishing as indeed is the countryside. Ok we have dodgy politicians here but they are certainly not exclusive to Brazil. Life here is very agreeable and as my wife is Brazilian we opted to stay here as opposed to move back home.

[Minuteman]

Talking about sailors and navies of the Napoleonic era: For 2024-2025 I am planning to make Nelsons sailors, as part of a coöperation with Geschichte in Miniaturen. I am sure Wolfgang Meyer will share the development of his project in this forum in the future.

Some sailors for the Napoleonic period would be wonderful. I very much hope you are able to achieve this. Good luck, your figures are really superb!

[Graeme]

Sailors for the Napoleonic period would be excellent! especially oarsmen and ships boats. Naval officers are needed too.

Can I suggest that for the Napoleonic period that any figures climbing the shrouds should have their hands rotated 90 degrees so that they grip a shroud rather than a ratline. the technique was to climb hand over hand holding on to a single shroud.

If this sounds pedantic it's really not; the shrouds, being part of the standing rigging holding up the mast, were tightened until they were as stiff as rods of iron and therefore provided a relatively stable purchase in a rolling, pitching, yawing, environment.

[Crynsminiaturen]

Dear Graeme, thank you very much for your clever criticism. I feel silly and you are absoluteley right. Feedback like yours convinces me once again why it is important to post the development of my productions during the process and not only when its finished. And why it can always be helpfull when members in this forum share their corrections and criticism.

I designed the three different climbing dummies years ago as ancient Greek men climbing ladders and siegtowers. Ratlines were not in use on ships in ancient times. When I used the same dummies for these late Renaissance sailors, I failed to do proper research again on how to climb shrouds with ratlines.
And even then... when we climb a wooden or aluminium ladder, we often hold the side bars and not the rungs (steps). Watch any picture of professional sailors climbing into the mast and we can see you are so right. And I discovered other miniature scale sailors holding their hands in the wrong positions like mine.
I am considering to change my masters and my mold now.
And I will not make this mistake again with the Royal Navy Sailors.

Regards from a sunny Amsterdam

[PatrickJ71]

Nice work! I'm looking forward to the sailors of the Napoleonic era.
I trust they will be as fantastic as your other creations you showed here.
Thank you and keep up that good work.
Patrick

[Crynsminiaturen]

Navigators of the Dutch Revolt 1566-1590 period. Part of set DR-003. Handsculpted in scale 1:72 after contemporary images.