Figurehead (object) - Wikipedia
A figurehead is a carved wooden decoration found at the bow of ships, generally of a design related to the name or role of a ship. They were predominant between the sixteenth and twentieth centuries, and modern ships' badges fulfil a similar role.
Figurehead | History, Meaning & Symbolism | Britannica
Figurehead, ornamental symbol or figure formerly placed on some prominent part of a ship, usually at the bow. A figurehead could be a religious symbol, a national emblem, or a figure symbolizing the ship’s name.
A Brief History of Ship Figureheads - The Historic England Blog
Jan 31, 2019 · In the 19th century, as the technology of ships developed from sail and wood to steam and iron, the bowsprit started to disappear and with it the figurehead under which it had traditionally been placed.
Figureheads - A Short History - A Short History - Naval Historical ...
Sep 10, 2002 · A figurehead (or more correctly figure head was a carved figure, usually human but quite often animal, fixed to a ship’s stem high in the box, just beneath the bowsprit. It was intended as a decorative emblem expressing either some aspect of a ship’s name or function.
History and Lore of Ship Figureheads
Oct 19, 2015 · Ship figureheads, sometimes referred to as Neptune's wooden angels, are an ornately carved wooden sculptures attached to the bowsprit (the forward extending spar) of a ship. Many a past ship carver's artistic expression has been memorialized in the extant figureheads that once graced a ship's prow.
The Anatomy of a Wooden Ship: Part 5- The Bow and Stern
Jul 24, 2018 · On wooden ships, you might find a long spar on it called a bowsprit that’s designed for holding the front sails as well as a wooden figure head and surrounding decoration. Though some warships did have a sharp piece on their bowsprits for ramming purposes.
Figurehead on Sailing Ships - Naval History - SchoonerMan
Jan 4, 2024 · Figureheads Ornamental head, butt, or figured mounted under the bowsprit Decorative shipcarving was one of the trades that flourished in shipbuilding regions in the nineteenth century. Figureheads conveyed a sense of prosperity that reflected favorably on the vessel's owners and builders.
Ship figureheads and decoration - Royal Museums Greenwich
Our collection of ship figureheads and carving traces the history of ship ornamentation from the 17th to the 20th centuries. What is a figurehead? Figureheads are the carved wooden sculptures that decorate the prows of sailing ships.
The Figurehead - Houston Maritime Center & Museum
Jun 23, 2022 · Many people have seen the figureheads on ships but may not know what a figurehead actually is and why they adorn the bows of many ancient ships. A figurehead is a large carved object displayed either on the bow or the stern of the ship and is used to classify which ship it was and would carry favor to those sailing with it.
figurehead - Students | Britannica Kids | Homework Help
When the beakhead was added to ships in the 16th century, it became the natural place for a figurehead. Gradually beakheads were reduced in size and moved back under the bowsprit until just the figurehead remained.