Formerly known as Le Duc de Duras, the Bonhomme Richard was classified as a frigate in the Continental Navy, the navy created during the American Revolution. Built in France at Lorient in 1765, the merchant ship belonging to the Compagnie des Indes was made available to John Paul Jones in 1779 by King Louis XVI of France.

This model was made entirely by hand over more than 5,000 hours, with meticulous attention to detail both outside and inside.
Three types of wood were used: service tree, pear tree and boxwood. The first two were used for the main structure, while boxwood was used for the decorations and various pulleys. A rigorous selection of the finest parts of the wood resulted in over 65% waste, as was the case with the construction of real ships of the period. This means that around ten planks were needed for the entire construction. For environmental reasons, all the wood used comes from France. All the black wooden parts of the ship are made from pear wood stained with Indian ink. The main treatment for the wood is a colourless matt wax oil. The boxwood decorations are patinated with a special stain before also being coated with wax oil.

In addition to precious wood, I used brass to reproduce most of the metalwork and artillery pieces. There is also some copper, lead and tin, as well as silver. Only the window panes and the lantern lamp are made of Plexiglas. Also note the two threaded steel rods used to secure the ship to the base. The brass and copper have been blackened with a chemical treatment.