Where's Nifty?! #2

Cool, thanks

I'll be posting a batch of 12 shots. And they're all about ships.

See, I went back to the Rijksmuseum today. And instead of paying for a ticket, I became a Friend of the Rijksmuseum. It's only 50 Euro a year and they have cool stuff for their Friends and of course you can come and go as you please without having to buy tickets. I hadn't been there in a long while and that visit two weeks ago, with Nifty, made me realise how much I love being there, sitting, taking in the great works of art. And then there's so much history there. So now I have a good reason to visit often. And without having to photograph anything!

I walked one floor and a few rooms of another. That is just a fraction of what there is. But I saw some good stuff. Of course, like the first time, I struggled with the darkness, the spotlights, the lack of a tripod and with my gear. It was often very hard to focus and even if I did, the slow shutter speeds were ruining shots.

One of the first rooms I went to was the Navy Models Gallery. The beauty of that room - what is in there and how it is displayed - is just amazing. My shots don't do it justice. Not even remotely. But truly, I was in heaven. I love those old ships. The sea is definitely my enemy but I do love harbours and ships. I think it's one of the reasons I like gulls so much, as for me they are so much connected to harbours, sea, ships. Anyway, the Ships Models Gallery was just incredible. I spent a long time there, not shooting at all. And shooting was hard as this room was particularly dark. And of course all the models were surrounded by glass.

Here's what the description plate had to say:

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

Model of a koff
The Netherlands, c. 1750
wood, brass, iron, rope, textile

The Department of the Navy not only had scale models made as part of the design process of new ships, it also collected models of existing ship types. This model was bought together with five others at an auction in 1865. The koff was a small cargo vessel that plied the coastal waters of Europe.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

Model of a submarine
Antoine Lipkens (1782-1847) and Olke Uhlenbeck (1810-1885)
Voorburg, 1835-1840
copper, brass, iron, lead, glass, leather, rope, wood

The 19th century was full of experiments to create underwater vessels. Antoine Lipkens worked on developing a Dutch submarine. From his extensive studies, and trials by Uhlenbeck, this model was made. It incorporates several improvements, such as a centrifugal pump for propulsion. Due to a lack of financing, a full-size version of this model was never built. The first operational submarine entered service in the Royal Netherlands Navy only seventy years later.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

Model of a galley
Amsterdam, c. 1700-1750
wood, brass, rope, textile

The galley originated in the Mediterranean region. It is a manoeuvrable, oar-powered vessel of shallow draught that is not particularly suited to deep water. Galleys were deployed in Dutch waters during the Eighty Years’ War and were also used by the Swedish and Russian navies in the Baltic. This model was reputedly made for Tsar Peter the Great, but has actually been confused with the frigate Galei, built for the Russian ruler in 1721.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

No more ships. For now... But ship-related items.

Anchor
The Netherlands, 1575-1595
Iron

This anchor was unearthed at Capelle in the province of Noord Brabant in 1822. It comes from a single-masted ship deployed during the siege and blockade of the nearby town of Geertruidenberg in 1593. The siege, under the command of Prince Maurice of Orange, lasted two months until the town surrendered. The Prince isolated Geertruidenberg from the outside world by constructing earthen ramparts, while warships blocked access to the town over water.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

Two flawed (not in focus) images, but I just loved those bullets, so I'm cheerfully posting them anyway.

Swivel musketoon
designed by Jean-Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval (1715-1789)
France, c. 1780-1820
bronze, iron, wood, textile

The swivel musketoon was a popular type of gun first used on galleys in the Mediterranean from the 16th century. It had a relatively wide barrel. The swivel made it very manoeuvrable: it could be operated by a single gunner. Later, swivel musketoons were deployed on other types of ships, and were used by other navies.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

How about two shots that have nothing to do with ships?

Saint Ursula and her Handmaidens
Low Countries, c. 1525
oak with later polychromy

According to legend, the Christian princess Ursula and her retinue of 11,000 handmaidens were murdered by Huns near Cologne. This statue depicts her as a well-to-do woman, dressed in the latest fashion of the Renaissance. Some of her companions seek protection under her cloak.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

NICE JOB on those ships! I'd be there a long while myself looking at those beautiful models. Well done!!!

So interesting, Levina. Thanks for sharing

Levina de Ruijter wrote in post #18300123
Saint Ursula and her Handmaidens
Low Countries, c. 1525
oak with later polychromy

According to legend, the Christian princess Ursula and her retinue of 11,000 handmaidens were murdered by Huns near Cologne. This statue depicts her as a well-to-do woman, dressed in the latest fashion of the Renaissance. Some of her companions seek protection under her cloak.

Hosted photo: posted by Levina de Ruijter in
./showthread.php?p=183​00123&i=i239242978
forum: Member Activities

red-jacket guy makes this one a winner! great so see such interesting things in context - Thanks!

At present we would like anyone wishing to host have at least a 200 post count or have been active on POTN for a year. Hopefully, this will reduce the number of people that do not participate in a timely manner, or "forget" to move Nifty on to the next host, or simply don't care.

* Though, this doesn't seem to alter the fact that people tend to forget to send Nifty on and tend to post very little... with some exceptions! To sign up to be a host, please copy the list completely, add your name to the bottom of the sub-list that is in your area of the world, paste the entire list into a new post with your name added.

USA Nifty:
(Chicagoland, IL) Nekrosoft13 (In Possession)
(MI) Blake C USA (In Possession)
(RI) Archer1960 (Tx)Itsallart (Renata)
(Chicagoland IL) KurtB
(Riverview, FL) saea501 (Bob)
(Buffalo, NY) KenjiS – (moved to bottom)
(Chicago "Burbs") - Patrick_E
(Texas) Ron Bailey (Possessed a Nifty, but gave it to a friend and so that Nifty is now Written Off as Gone)

Euro Nifty:
(The Netherlands) Levina de Ruijter (Nifty is on its way to the UK!)
(UK) BambersImages
(The Netherlands) MPCman

Adorama Nifty - Canadians:
(AB) Photorider (in possession)

DUPAN Nifty: Another Nifty passed on to the big camera in the sky. Replacement EF50 1.8 STM donated by Progear.co.nz Standard versions no longer available in New Zealand
(Ararat Victoria) – gutterscum Gary (in possession, delivered 20 Jan 2016)
(Cebu-Philippines or Hong Kong) Reservoir Dog

Thank You Levina!

Really enjoyed this round with you. Thanks for taking us on a wonderful extended vacation in Amsterdam!
So many fabulous images.

Pieter, if I ship to you on 27 June, does that give enough time for your trip? I am going on a cruise around Italy from 20-26 June and would like to take some pictures with Nifty if possible. If not, I will ship before we go.

CameraMan wrote in post #18300286
NICE JOB on those ships! I'd be there a long while myself looking at those beautiful models. Well done!!!

Those ships are something to see, CameraMan. Just gorgeous. Also the way they were displayed was just awesome. Thanks!

itsallart wrote in post #18300293
So interesting, Levina. Thanks for sharing

Thank you so much, Renata.

joeseph wrote in post #18300466
red-jacket guy makes this one a winner! great so see such interesting things in context - Thanks!

There was no way I could shoot in the museum without people being in the frame. All I could do was sometimes wait for the "right kind" of people. Like there was a guy in the Gallery of Honour who was wearing a most hideous, baggy, home-knitted sweater. So I waited until he was gone. Nice to know that this particular shot works because of the "red-jacket guy"! I'm so glad you said that, Joeseph. Thanks for that.

joayne wrote in post #18300736
Thank You Levina!

Really enjoyed this round with you. Thanks for taking us on a wonderful extended vacation in Amsterdam!
So many fabulous images.

Thank you very much, Jo. Of course I'm not nearly done yet. Hopefully I can post a fair amount before Clare receives Nifty. After that I will try to stay out of the way of the present hosts as much as I can and only post when there's a pause in their uploads.