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

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

Persistent URL

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  • Model of a figurehead
  • Model of a figurehead
  • Model of a figurehead
  • Model of a figurehead

anonymous

Model of a Figurehead

Netherlands, c. 1796 - c. 1850

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 26 February 2026 14:38:55).

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.