Model of a figurehead

anonymous, c. 1796 - c. 1850

Carved figures on the prows of ships usually illustrated their names. This model represents Atalanta, a mythological Greek heroine. She can be recognizable by her classical clothing and three golden apples. The female figure stands on the ship’s stem, which is decorated with garlands. The large version of this Atalanta adorned a brig of the same name from 1796.

Artwork typescale model
Object numberNG-MC-241
Dimensionsheight 38.2 cm x width 18.4 cm x depth 15.7 cm
Physical characteristicswood and paint

Identification

Title(s)
- Model of a Figurehead
- Model of a figurehead
Object type
Object number
NG-MC-241
Description
Gepolychromeerd model van een staande vrouw op een scheg, op een rond voetstuk. De scheg is versierd met snijwerk van ranken. De vrouw draagt Romeinse kleding en houdt een gouden appel in de rechterhand en twee appels in de plooien van haar sjaal in de linkerhand.
Inscriptions / marks
label, on the base: ‘241’ former inventory label
Part of catalogue

Creation

Creation
model maker: anonymous, Netherlands
Dating
c. 1796 - c. 1850
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Material and technique

Physical description
wood and paint
Dimensions
height 38.2 cm x width 18.4 cm x depth 15.7 cm

Explanatory note

Het schegbeeld stelt Atalante voor, zoals overeenkomt met het schegbeeld van de brik van die naam door scheepstimmermansbaas Priel in 1796 te Vlissingen gebouwd; genomen door de Engelsen bij de Vlieter in 1804.

This work is about

Person
Subject

Acquisition and rights

Copyright
Public domain
Provenance
...; transferred from the Ministerie van Marine (Department of the Navy), The Hague, to the museum, 1883

Documentation

- Catalogus Rijksmuseum Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum, Amsterdam 1928, vgl. cat.nr. 39, 242, portef. IIC.
- Jaarverslag Vereniging Nederlands Historisch Scheepvaartmuseum (1925), p. 110-113.

Persistent URL

To refer to this object, please use the following persistent URL:
https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200315751

Inscriptions

label, on the base:241 former inventory label

Provenance

...; transferred from the Ministerie van Marine (Department of the Navy), The Hague, to the museum, 1883

Object number: NG-MC-241

Entry

Polychromed model of a figure of a standing woman on the knee of the head, mounted on a round pedestal.

The knee of the head is ornamented with carvings of foliage. The woman is in Roman dress, holding a golden apple in her right hand and two more apples in a shawl with her left hand.

The figure represents Atalante.¹J.M. Obreen, Catalogus der verzameling modellen van het Departement van Marine, The Hague 1858, no. 241. It agrees with the description of the figurehead of the brig Atalante of 1796, built in Flushing by Priel – both a Willem and a Dirk Priel are mentioned as shipwrights by De Kanter in 1795.²J. de Kanter, Chronyk van Zierikzee, Zierikzee 1795, p. 296. The brig was captured by the British at the Vlieter in 1804.³HNA 1.01.47.36 Admiraliteitscolleges, Losse Aanwinsten, inv. no. 17, Genealogie Asmus.

Literature

J. de Kanter, Chronyk van Zierikzee, Zierikzee 1795, p. 296; J.M. Obreen, Catalogus der verzameling modellen van het Departement van Marine, The Hague 1858, no. 241; Jaarverslag Vereniging Nederlands Historisch Scheepvaartmuseum 1925, pp. 110-13; Catalogus Rijksmuseum Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum, coll. cat. Amsterdam 1928, no. 39, 242; E. Pâris, Souvenirs de Marine, facsimile, 3 vols., Grenoble 1975-76, vol. 1, pl. 52.3

Citation

J. van der Vliet, 2016, 'anonymous, Model of a Figurehead, Netherlands, c. 1796 - c. 1850', in J. van der Vliet and A. Lemmers (eds.), Navy Models in the Rijksmuseum, online coll. cat. Amsterdam: https://data.rijksmuseum.nl/200315751

(accessed 6 December 2025 18:13:34).

Footnotes

¹J.M. Obreen, Catalogus der verzameling modellen van het Departement van Marine, The Hague 1858, no. 241.
²J. de Kanter, Chronyk van Zierikzee, Zierikzee 1795, p. 296.
³HNA 1.01.47.36 Admiraliteitscolleges, Losse Aanwinsten, inv. no. 17, Genealogie Asmus.