The Wyoming, A Lasting Treasure. An Exclusive Essay By Tom Moser. The Curated Object

The Wyoming, at the Maine Maritime Museum

    

     

Thos Moser's Wing chair

 

      

Thos Moser's Sofia chair



 
Thos Moser's Sofia chair

 “As a carpenter’s nails are divided into wrought nails and cut nails; so mankind may be similarly divided." -- from Herman Meville's Moby Dick

If the sea is one's mistress than certainly one's ship is one's wife, the vessel with the strength that must surpass and simultaneously recognize the power of the waters she must navigate. Indeed, strength and integrity are the beauty of a vessel-- be it one's ship, one's chair, or the ones in life who carry us. 

And anyone who has experienced the firm, yet graceful lines of Thos. Moser's furnishings will recognize the classic forms of devotion to one's craft typically found in the tales of shipbuilders and captains who have a supernatural bond with their vessels. They are trusted companions found in the homes of those thoughtful souls who still have the courage to believe in the powers of craft and cultivated wisdom. 

Tom Moser has honored The Curated Object by telling us about his favorite object, The Wyoming, in the Maine Maritime Museum. His selection and his words reflect the powerful substance of his furnishings.

 

Tom Moser on the Wyoming

"I find the curatorial process fascinating because objects chosen for any given museum act as lenses bringing periods in history into sharper focus.

My favorite object in a Maine museum was easy to identify because there is an evocative coincidence to the year in which it was created and I am still drawn to the beauty of it. The world’s largest wooden sailing vessel, the Wyoming, has been replicated in the form of a life-sized sculpture at the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath.The six-masted schooner was built in 1912, which means it will be one hundred years old next year—remarkable given that the design is so timeless the lines of the ship are still being utilized a century after the keel was laid.

The year has added significance because it was in 1912 that the LL Bean boot was invented (a local icon), that my father immigrated to the US from Austria, and that the home in LaBelle, Florida, where my wife, Mary, and I winter was built. I find it ironic that the year is saturated with echoes that resonate in my own past.

Being a craftsman who works in wood, creating artisanal furniture, I also greatly admire the enduring lines that make this ship a lasting treasure."

For more information please visit:

Thos. Moser and the Maine Maritime Musem

Comments

[David Richardson]

My family built ships at the Cobb Butler shipyard in Rockland Maine. The last one built was named after my great grandmother, Jenny Cobb. It was a 5 masted schooner and was sunk by a German u-boat during WW 1.

David Cobb Richardson
New Bedford, Ma