SPECIAL FEATURE
040
June 2018
Explore the heritage of sailing with professional ship model maker Carlos Montalvao.
Follow the Sea 01
What inspired you to start making these miniature ship models? How did your interest in ships begin? My first contact with a ship model was when I was 6 years old and my father took me to the Lisbon Maritime Museum. There had been several sailors in our family and, as I viewed the ship models, I imagined my ancestors on board and they were brought back to life again. It was a magic moment that paved the way for my lifelong love for ships and ship models. I went to university and pursued a 4-year degree and 2-year post-graduate course in Philosophy, during which time I build ship models as a hobby. After graduating I started working as a professional in academic and science
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administration at the University of Lisbon, and by then my hobby had become a passion. A local maritime museum asked me to build a model of a famous XIX century ship that had wrecked on its shores, which was the first step to start a career as a professional model maker. In order to enhance my manual skills with maritime and boat building expertise, I went back to university to take a Master’s degree in maritime history and shipbuilding traditions. I also started to lecture, giving training courses on ship modeling and acting as a museum consultant for ship models’ policy and maritime history issues. I was planning my PhD when I was commissioned to build the models which are currently on display at the National Museum of Oman.
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