Polly Cornthwaite
Senior Cataloguer
Lot 12TP
A Carved And Painted Ship's Figurehead of Abraham Lincoln, English or American, 19th century, 41in (104cm) high
41in x 15in x 10 1/2in (104cm x 38cm x 27cm) overall
41in x 15in x 10 1/2in (104cm x 38cm x 27cm) overall
25 – 26 October 2022, 14:00 BST
London, KnightsbridgeSold for £7,650 inc. premium
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Rhyanon Demery
Head of Sale
A Carved And Painted Ship's Figurehead of Abraham Lincoln, English or American, 19th century,
the three-quarter length carved wood portrait depicting the 16th President of the United States, with right arm held across his chest, the figurehead with traces of white paint overall, the hair, cravat, pupils, eyebrows and suit with traces of black paint, the back with bowsprit mounting aperture to the back for attachment to the ship,
41in (104cm) high
41in x 15in x 10 1/2in (104cm x 38cm x 27cm) overall
41in (104cm) high
41in x 15in x 10 1/2in (104cm x 38cm x 27cm) overall
Footnotes
Throughout the 19th century, a notable political figure on the ship's bow was viewed as a sign of good fortune for the merchant navy vessel it adorned. In some known examples, the ship itself bore the same name as its carved pine figurehead. In addition to Abraham Lincoln, other leading American political figures to have been represented as ship figureheads include Andrew Jackson and Thomas Jefferson.
For a fully painted comparable example of an Abraham Lincoln ship's figurehead, see the Long John Silver collection of figureheads at Cutty Sark, Royal Museums Greenwich, London.