Nelson's ship sets sail on Trafalgar Square's fourth plinth

Crowds gather in London's Trafalgar Square to inspect the fourth plinth's latest occupant, Yinka Shonibare's giant replica of the ship that won the war (of Trafalgar, that is), the HMS Victory
Photograph: Graeme Robertson for the Guardian

The large-scale model, entitled Nelson's Ship in a Bottle, depicts the vessel from which the naval hero commanded the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. 'It seemed obvious to do a work that was connected to [Trafalgar Square] in some way,' says Shonibare
Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

With 37 sails and 80 cannon, this is the largest ship in a bottle ever to have been made
Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

The sailcloth is made of traditional sail canvas, hand-sewn and hand-printed by the artist in batik designs
Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

Everything on the ship is minutely carved. From steps that lead below deck ...
Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

... and intricately detailed figureheads ...
Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

... to rows of miniature cannon
Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

Shonibare used traditional materials – oak, hardwood, brass, twine and canvas – for the ship's details, such as this rigging
Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

... and this entry port [This caption was amended on 24 May 2010. The original referred to this opening as a porthole]
Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

The bottle measures 5 x 2.8 metres – large enough for studio workers to slip into and work inside
Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

Some of the tools of the trade
Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

Shonibare, Nigerian by birth, is fascinated by the racial stereotyping of 'African art'. His use of Dutch wax, the exuberant batik seen here on one of the ship's sails, harks back to colonial times, when Dutch merchants sold tonnes of the cloth to west African markets
Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

A closeup of Shonibare's hand-sewn sailcloth
Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

As a faithful 1/30th replica of Nelson's ship, Shonibare's sculpture even sports perfectly scaled versions of the ship's smaller boats, such as the cutter [This article was amended on 24 May 2010. The original described the ship's working boats as lifeboats.]
Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

... and stands afloat in a solid yet convincingly textured sea
Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

A giant cork for the neck of the bottle. The bottle is sealed with wax, on which the name of the artist is inscribed: 'YSMBE, Yinka Shonibare MBE'
Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

Shonibare, pictured here at the sculpture's unveiling in Trafalgar Square, says: 'Nelson's victory freed up the seas for the British, and that led, in turn, to the London we know today: an exciting, diverse, multicultural city. Maybe this is just a monument to live, and let live'
Photograph: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images

The model of the HMS Victory is launched in Trafalgar Square – with Nelson looking on from his column
Photograph: Graeme Robertson for the Guardian

A man overtaken by the sunny weather – and the plinth's maritime theme, perhaps – sunbathes by the fountain
Photograph: Graeme Robertson for the Guardian