A ship's figurehead of hardwood, carved in the late 18TH or early 19TH Century period, takes the form of a Roman Warrior in a plumbed helmet, the evidence of scale armor beneath a Centurion's once-colored uniform. Traces of the original polychrome paint scheme are still in slight evidence. While the torso is no longer complete, the arms are absent beneath the shoulders after all, the proportions are still quite apparent and properly done.
The full plumage of the warrior's helmet is a uniform component that was inspired by the chieftain's of Celtic Britain, and worn through the Germanic tribes and the later armed mercenaries in extravagant fashion on the medieval battlefields of Europe. Carvers of the best ability found work in the shipyards of Britain and the American East Coast as a full-time occupation for more than 200 years, beginning in the second half of the 17th Century. More often, their works were directly commissioned by the vessel builders and owners, and the final result would be an image that closely identified with the vessel's name in nearly all cases. This figurehead could have easily been on a fifth-or-sixth rate British Naval vessel based on its era and size.
Stoically posed, the figure's chest cavity has a partially revealed plug, and the dried wood has split rather substantially vertically from this point where the piece would have attached to the ship's bow. A couple of unusual features, it has two large floral sunflowers on each side, and that decidedly male warrior has flowing long hair. Quite stabilize for a 200-plus year old carving, it will remain a collectable work of art for years to come.
Provenance: Richard Headley, Santa Barbara, California.
SIZE: 26½ Inches High by 19½ Inches Wide and 10 Inches Deep.
