David Warther adds to his ivory fleet
Carver David Warther, owner of David Warther Carvings & Gift Shop in Sugarcreek, has recently finished carving his 94th sailing ship out of antique ivory. His newest effort, The Kyrenia, is a small Greek trading vessel built about 300 B.C.
Ninety, 91, 92, 93, 94. No, that’s not counting situps or crunches. That’s counting sailing ships — 94 to be exact.
David Warther, owner of David Warther Carvings & Gift Shop in Sugarcreek, has recently finished carving his 94th sailing ship out of antique ivory.
It’s important to note Warther finished his latest work on May 3, which happens to be the 12th anniversary of when David Warther Carvings & Gift Shop officially opened its doors to the public in its permanent exhibit at 1775 Route 39 in Sugarcreek. At that time Warther was working on ship number 80.
Time doesn’t stand still, and apparently, neither does Warther, who said he used to carve two ships a year prior to immersing himself in the museum, which limits him to producing just a single ship annually now.
“I’m now operating the museum and very happily so, but it has limited me to doing one ship every year,” Warther said.
Warther continues to produce famous ships that have played an important role in the world over the centuries.
The Kyrenia, sailing ship #94, is a small Greek trading vessel built about 300 B.C. that wrecked off the coast of Cyprus about 280 B.C. The ship’s wreck site was excavated by a team of underwater archaeologists headed by Michael Katzev from 1967-69.
The 47-foot-long sailing ship’s cargo included large millstones, wine, olive oil and a large shipment of almonds. The Kyrenia’s blueprints, drawings and technical information were provided to Warther by Mrs. Katzev after Michael’s death.
“In underwater archaeological circles, this is a very well-known ship,” Warther said. “When they were finally able to bring the ship up, they learned a lot about how ancient Greek ships were built. It was a small trading vessel, but it gave us a good Coda graph of what ships were like back then.”
Like many of Warther’s ships, this one met a watery demise, and raising them from their underwater wreck sites provides a rare opportunity to reverse engineer the blueprints for each one.
Also, like many, this ship contained one valuable clue as to its age, a gold coin located deep within the ship’s single mast that was placed there for good luck. The coin provides a date as to when the ship was built.
Warther said another clue that helped date the ship was the amphora on board. Amphora is a giant clay jar, up to 4-feet tall, and the style of the amphora gives clues to the dates the ship traveled.
Warther said the Kyrenia was manned by four men because it had four sets of everything found on board. Thus the four men made their living sailing the seas and transporting goods from nation to nation.
“There was no Amazon back then, no Walmart to pick things up. It was these guys traveling around and bringing items to the people,” Warther said.
When you visit David Warther Carvings & Gift Shop in Sugarcreek, you’ll be able to view The Kyrenia in the Ancient Room, where it is displayed alongside sailing ships from the same time period of 3000 B.C. through the time of Christ. Subsequent rooms include Medieval, Age of Exploration, Modern, and Heritage rooms, each showcasing the history of the sailing ship. Currently, Warther is preparing for carving sailing ship #95, an ancient Egyptian ship from the Nile River around 1,000 B.C.
As 100 ships draws near, Warther said that goal never really dominated his thoughts, but as that historic number approaches, he is getting more excited about it.
“It’s really not what I’m after,” Warther said. “Each ship is so special to me. I select ships that are significant from historical and developmental importance. I love the stories they tell, and that is what is the most meaningful to me.”
David Warther Carvings & Gift Shop is open Monday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed Sunday. Bring this article into David Warther Carvings & Gift Shop and receive a free tour for the entire family.