ships figureheads

[dangermule]

hello hey and hi im sam and i was just trying to find out some of the history of hand carved figure heads and what tools they used if anybody can point me in the right direction on this subject it would be much appriciated

[Mottles]

Well, can't help you with your query, but sure can welcome you to WCI message boards. Someone will come along soon who'll have some answers for you.
Kathy

[Greyhair]

Look at these sites:
Ship's Figurehead

this is the site for a current carver who specializes in figureheads: Martin Jeffery - Figurehead Carving, Maritime Carving, Ship Restoration, Shipcarver

this is another site dedicated to carving ship figureheads:
Curious Expeditions Blog Archive Guardians of the Crew

[squbrigg]

Ships figureheads were traditional hand carved figures of human or animal or mythical figures to represent the vessel that they graced the bow of. The Vikings used fierce animals or creatures to instill fear in their prey, some Greek vessels had figures to honor the gods of the sea. In the fifteenth to the nineteenth centurys they graced the bows of ships of war, to show splendor and the power of the countries they represent. Merchant vessels in later periods also had figureheads, with the peak being in the mid to late 1800's, tea clippers and packet ships displaying the opulance and success of the company they represented. Always, the figurehead was related to the name of the vessel in some way, and could be quite ornate and highly decorative.

The figurehead was usually carved in White Pine, but other woods were used, and were often painted or gilded with gold leaf. The Cutty Sark has a repository of original figureheads as does the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England.

On smaller vessels, a figurehead may only be a small representation of a head or even a carved billet or curl of leaves. Larger the vessel, the richer the decoration.

There are a few carvers around still contueing the old skills and methods, basically the craver used simple hand tools, mallet and gouges and chizels. Modern tools make the job easier. The weight of a figurehead can be massive.

Bob

[Hugh-P]

There are books available on ships figure heads, I have two books on ship carving and ships figure heads, picked them up on ebay. The one titled Ships" Figure heads is authored by Hans Jurgen, and Clas Broder Hansen. The other book The Shipcarvers's Handbook, by Jay S. Hanna. Lots of information

[Cap Crutch]

I was just looking at a book that had photos of a dozen or more neat ship's bowspirits or whatever they're called. Apparently the Mariner's Museum in Newport News, Virginia has quite a collection of old ones.

They have a website, maybe they have info on them:

The Mariners' Museum ~ Newport News, Virginia