Model Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Obreen, Catalogus der verzameling van modellen van het Departement van Marine just reported that this model represents the 22-gun corvette Scipio built in 1781 from France. The description of the model does not supply any more details. In 1781 was the Republic indeed interested in buying warships in France, see for instance the following note "Dutch navy buying French and Portuguese warships in 1781?"
However the details you can trace in the archives and literature are quite different. According to the research notes of the late Swedish maritime historian Jan Glete was she bought in 1781, rebuilt in 1789 and captured by the British in 1807. Rif Winfield, British warships in the Age of Sail 1793-1817 confirmed that the British captured on 1 September 1807 off Java, Dutch East Indies a Dutch ship of this size called Scipio armed with 18 guns adding however that she was a sloop built in 1797 at Rotterdam. She was however never commissioned in the Royal British Navy and sold as the Samarang in 1814 at Bombay, British Indies. In the sources she is usually called a frigate or corvette or 7th charter. Her crew numbered between 120 and 140 men.
A list dated 4 July 1786 (Archive Staten Generaal no. 9259, National Archive, The Hague, Netherlands) supplied as details: frigate, built in 1781, bought in 1785 in England, dimensions 130 x 30 x 12 8/11 feet and armed with 10-8pd guns and 12-6pd guns, although giving as totally 20 guns.
Asmus (Admiralty Archives XLVIII no. 17) supplied the following interesting details about a Scipio. Dimensions 122 x 30 x 17 ¼, . Armament 20 guns. French built in 1780 but totally renewed in 1789 by P. Glavimans at the navy yard of Rotterdam, Netherlands after she returned from a voyage to the Dutch East Indies under command of captain Lucas. She was captured by the British in August 1807 off Samarang, Dutch East Indies. To make it more complicated, some wrote in pencil on the record built for 1786, departed in December 1785 with Lucas and bought in 1781 in France. She made in 1785-1789 indeed a voyage to the Dutch East Indies commanded by E. Lucas although ranked as a lieutenant?
