Figureheads

A figurehead is a carved or painted figure or emblem ornamenting the bows of a ship. It will often
relate to the ship’s name or purpose. The origins of the figurehead probably lie in the earliest days of
seafaring, when their purpose was religious as well as decorative. For early seafarers the figurehead
was literally the head of an animal sacrificed to the sea gods to ensure a safe passage. Eventually a
symbolic head was substituted for that of the animal. The figurehead was also believed to embody
the spirit of the ship itself, as it was believed that the ship needed eyes to find her own way across
the seas, whilst the figurehead also provided a means of identification. The figurehead was originally
located on the beakhead of the vessel but later was located on the continuation of the stem below
the bowsprit.

The seafarers of all of the early Mediterranean civilisations fitted their ships with figureheads. The
ancient Egyptians mounted figures of holy birds on the prows, whilst the Phoenicians used the heads
of horses to symbolise both vision and swiftness. Greek ships had a boar’s head for both its quick
sight and ferocious reaction and Roman ships often carried a carving of a centurion to indicate their
prime fighting quality. William the Conqueror’s ship pictured in the Bayeux Tapestry had a lion’s
head carved on the top of her stem; by the 13th century one of the favourite figureheads was a swan,
possibly in the hope that the ship would then possess the same mobility and stability on the water as
the bird. Some Danish ships portrayed a dolphin or bull, while a serpent was also popular in Northern
Europe.

The figurehead as we know it today was an effect of the change in the design of the ship, which came
about in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. The beakhead gradually disappeared into the bow and the
figurehead became more upright, finally reaching the perpendicular by about 1700. English, Dutch
and Spanish Naval ships favoured the Lion as their most common figurehead whilst French ships
carried, in general, more elaborate Figureheads. The Lion finally went out of fashion as a figurehead
in the second half of the 18th century, being replaced by carvings usually indicating the name of the
ship.

Merchant ships, up until about 1800, followed Naval practice fairly closely, and most vessels favoured
the Lion as the figurehead until the advent of the Clipper ship, when the figurehead became more
usually a single figure in full or half length, with women being rather more popular than men, and
often reflecting a superstition of seamen by having one or both breasts bared – Women in general
were thought to be unlucky aboard ship, but a naked woman was supposed to be able to calm a
storm at sea. The technological changes brought by steam and iron spelled the gradual end of the
Figurehead and figureheads for larger warships were abolished in 1894 in Britain. Merchant ships
also stopped the tradition with the advent of steam power, as the loss of the bowsprit meant no
place to mount the figurehead. Some shipping lines are now reviving the tradition for decorative
purposes.

Sources: Peter Kemp, Ed. The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea

To learn more about the South Australian Maritime Museum’s collection of figureheads check out our online collections

Figureheads Online Collection

Foundation

Visual Arts

AC9AVAFE01 – explore how and why the arts are important for people and communities

AC9AVAFD01 – use play, imagination, arts knowledge, processes and/or skills to discover possibilities and develop ideas

AC9AVAFC01 – create art works that communicate ideas

Year 1 / 2

Visual Arts

AC9AVA2E01 – explore where, why and how people across cultures, communities and/or other contexts experience visual arts

AC9AVA2D01 – experiment and play with visual conventions, visual arts processes and materials

AC9AVA2C01 – use visual conventions, visual arts processes and materials to create artworks

Year 3 / 4

Visual Arts

AC9AVA4E01 – explore where, why and how visual arts are created and/or presented across cultures, times, places and/or other contexts

AC9AVA4D01 – experiment with a range of ways to use visual conventions, visual arts processes and materials

AC9AVA4C01 – use visual conventions, visual arts processes and materials to create artworks that communicate ideas, perspectives and/or meaning

Year 5 / 6

Visual Arts

AC9AVA6E01 – explore ways that visual conventions, visual arts processes and materials are combined to communicate ideas, perspectives and/or meaning in visual arts across cultures, times, places and/or other contexts

AC9AVA6D01 – experiment with, document and reflect on ways to use a range of visual conventions, visual arts processes, and materials

AC9AVA6C01 – use visual conventions, visual arts processes and materials to plan and create artworks that communicate ideas, perspectives and/or meaning

Download and print the worksheet to get started

Figureheads

Book a visit to the South Australian Maritime Museum today

Self-Guided Visit

Life on Board

Encounters

Check out these education resources to help you explore South Australian maritime history

The History of Life Onboard

Life Onboard Quiz