By: Donald McNarry FRSA

American Clipper Ship of 1853
Glazed case of Indian satinwood
The largest extreme clipper ever built, the 4,555-ton Great Republic was 335', or longer than a football field. “To triumph over them all – to excel all his other works,” was the object Donald McKay had in view when he designed her, the largest merchant ship in the world. McNarry has emphasized the tremendous size of the famous “Leviathan” by the subtle implication of her diagonal placement within the rectangle of her case; as if no boundary were adequate to contain her. Her sleek, almost menacing black hull is softened by the light green of the shallow waters of Cape Cod - as she makes her way from Boston to New York - and by the light orange-yellow of the veneered baseboard. However, in a fascinating paradox, the ship's colossal sail configuration as depicted here never was employed, for after a fire at her berth in New York dest roy ed her prior to her maiden voyage to Liverpool she was substantially rebuilt and had a 25% reduction in rig.
Provenance: Model built in 1970; Private Collection, Switzerland
Reference: Ship Models in Miniature, D. McNarry, pp. 126-128; David & Charles, 1975

Model type: Extreme Miniature
Scale: 32' = 1" Scale
Size: 19 1/4" x 8 5/6" x 10 1/2"
Code: EXM 2406