The Shipbuilder’s Art: Model Ships by Heinz Schiller
 SAN FELIPE, 1690, Heinz Schiller, model built 2005, Scale 1:75
Keeping with the theme of motion and movement in the exhibition, Speed, The Shipbuilder’s Art will feature a selection of extraordinary ship models built by Williamsburg resident Heinz Schiller. A member of the Hampton Roads Ship Model Society, Mr. Schiller will be lending twelve extraordinary examples of this time-honored tradition.
According to Pfac Program Director & Curator Michael Preble, “The accuracy of his constructions is superb, and the craftsmanship, down to the smallest detail, is most impressive.”
Born in Germany in 1933, Schiller’s fascination with ships began at the age of 12 after seeing the film Sea Hawk (1940) featuring Errol Flynn. This inspired him to build his first model from scratch—the only model that he ever sold. A self-taught artist, Schiller builds his work from a plan. Each model takes a year to complete.
Among the models to be included are the 90-gun British Royal Navy’s Sovereign of the Seas (1637), the renowned Bounty (1781), the French pre-dreadnought Hoche (1886) and the cruiser USS Brooklyn (1896), a flagship in the Spanish-American War.
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