Središnji sadržaj
This is a model of the ship named Osmi dubrovački aboard which Vlaho Bukovac worked as a sailor from 1871 to 1872. It was built in 1871 in Gruž. It was a three-masted barque, with the aft mast having a lateen sail and a triangular top. In the period from 1870 to 1875, 13 sailing ships were constructed in the port of Gruž and other Adriatic ports for the Dubrovnik Maritime Society. They were named Prvi dubrovački (Dubrovnik’s First) and upwards to number twelve, while the thirteenth, due to the unlucky symbolism associated with the number, was named Petka. Captain Ivan Bronzan the Elder described them as the product of masterful craftsmanship, solid, strong, well-rigged, with double decks, trusses, and built for heavy cargo, sailing the seas like fairies.
Osmi dubrovački mainly transported grain and coal along the route Istanbul – Odessa – Plymouth or Liverpool. Onboard the ship, Vlaho Bukovac faced exceedingly difficult times, mainly as a result of mistreatment by Captain Antun Kravić, rather than the challenges posed by the demanding maritime life. Bukovac wrote in great detail about this episode from his life in his autobiographical novel My Life. Bukovac recalls rare beautiful moments from that memorable voyage, such as visiting the museums in Liverpool with the friendly ship’s clerk Lujo Saitz, and a particular event in Istanbul that left a profound impression on him – the Sultan’s ceremony. Later, around 1918, for the purpose of illustrating his autobiography, he created several sketches that evoke that time. Bukovac’s arduous life as a sailor ended tragically. One night, he fell into the ship’s hold, which was about eight meters deep. After seven days of unconsciousness and a three-week recuperation period in Istanbul, Bukovac returned to his hometown with severe head injuries.