Figureheads of English East Indiamen 1750

[bruce d]

Found this in the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Museum site. The description reads:

"PLACE MADE - unknown

 DATE MADE - 1750

DESCRIPTION

A photo-processed copy of a print depicting four figureheads of English East Indiamen. Figureheads from the top, clockwise: a man wielding a club with both hands over his head from the waist up, a bearded man with a crown holding an unidentified object with his left hand, a dragon with a forked tongue, and a falcon. The entire length of the bowspirits is not depicted; the ends are rendered with jagged edges as if they were broken off. The illustration was most likely taken from a book and was originally folded. The remnants of acid migration, or the faint designs overlapping the darker illustrations, perfectly match up and mirror many of the illustrations."

 

[druxey]

Although I cannot locate these drawings in his book, the style of illustration is very similar to those of L.G. Carr Laughton. (Old Ship's Figureheads & Sterns, 1925.)

[Keith Black]

10 hours ago, bruce d said:

a bearded man with a crown holding an unidentified object with his left hand

 Bruce, it looks like a man riding a griffin, the griffin's head is center of the man's stomach. The man's right hand appears to be ready to cover or just uncovering the griffin's eyes while his left hand grasps the griffin's talon. But hey, I flunked the Rorschach test. 

 

 

Edited January 14, 2022 by Keith Black

[cotrecerf]

The figure heads are very similar to if not the same of Frederick af Chapman plans of his publication Architecture Navalis Mercatoria published 1763.

Bruce d's picture shows them mirrored. I attach the plans:

[cotrecerf]

for further reference I add an index to a.m. plans:

Index Chapman Plans Mercatoria.pdf