with heralds, paying homage as they receive their fiefs. Furthermore ten trumpeters and a kettle-drummer alternately announce the banquet. Also a drummer and three guardsmen, and sixteen small cannons, eleven of which may be loaded and fired automatically." There are known to be two similar nefs by the same craftsman. The most similar is in the Musée de la Renaissance in Écouen, France. The Nef that did belong to Rudolf II is silver and is in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. History of the World This automaton was chosen to be one of the History of the World in 100 Objects which was a series of radio programmes that started in 2010 and that were created in a partnership between the BBC and the British Museum. The leading figures in this partnership were Neil MacGregor and Mark Damazer. Damazer said “My absolute favourite so far is the 16th-century mechanical galleon. It is an extraordinary piece. It is tiny and its pieces move. Beyond its beauty, it tells a story about using patronage. All these early modern rulers competed with each other to make the best of this kind of object in order to show off their craftsmen. All I want is to take away the object and have it in my living room.” Replica The Museum Speelklok in Utrecht has a working replica of a shooting ship, including a real miniature cannon. Gallery References Bibliography J. J. Haspels, Automatic musical instruments, (Nirota, Muziekdruk C.V., Koedijk, 1987) J. Fritsch (ed.), Ships of curiosity: three Rena (Paris, Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 2001) D. Roberts, Mystery, novelty and fantasy c (Atglen Pa., Schiffer Publishing, 1999) H. Tait, Clocks and watches (London, The British Museum Press, 1983) Automata (mechanical) Individual clocks in England Model boats Prehistory and Europe objects in the British Museum