Over the following pages you will find various articles that I’ve have written and published
on the subject of Figureheads and Maritime Carving. If you would like hard copy of any of these articles please contact me.
I’ve also reviewed a number of books on the subject of Ships Figureheads and Martime Carvings which you will find here, also further reading on this captivating subject can be found here.
From R Merta Americana Antiques & Folk Art Of Indian Harbour Beach Florida USA Looking resplendent in her Union Jack Dress the Figurehead of the British sailing ship “LADY YOUNG” will be offered for sale by Northeast Auctions of Portsmouth New Hampshire, the preeminent auction house for Maritime art and artefacts in America, part of … Read more
“Sworders sell historic Figurehead of a South American Gaucho for £50,000 ( Plus premium )a British sales record for a male Figurehead” read more at… http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-30397161 Hunter Figurehead Archives To feature an historic and important figurehead to be sold in its sale on the 9th December 2014 During its Winter Country House Sale … Read more
When I first began my research into ships Figurehead over 40 years ago, it’s safe to say that the World was indeed a different place; letters came in the post from all over the world, if I was looking for information and details on a particular figurehead in say South America or Australia, contact could and would take months, in the case of some museums literally years, but in it came and with all these letters came 100’s of black and white or the occasional colour photographs , building up as it has to what I can safely called the Worlds largest private archive of Figurehead images.
In recent year the burst of technology has been incredible, the advent of e-mail and digital photography has enabled Museums and collections in the most out of the way location to write instantly and at the same time send over images without cost and very little effort, this has created an all new area of research and archival material, images are now stored in memory sticks in vast numbers, allowing for instant access, we can only wonder at what the future will bring.
Dutch artist Maaike Vonk has chosen the “Hunter Figurehead archives” to showcase the resale of her inspirational figurehead triptych artwork “FORTUNA” originally created in 1987 for the restaurant of the De Beer hotel in Europort near Rotterdam. Painted in oils on canvas as three separate works of art that can be display looking inwards towards the front view of the Figurehead, or outwards, depending on how you care to position the three parts, using day and night symbolically, showing Ursa major, and Ursa minor in the top background of the dark sky, Maaike has deliberately kept the style of this piece naïve, reflecting the charm and fascination figureheads have held for generations of sailors and landlubbers alike, figureheads hold a special place in the Worlds rich maritime heritage, with an enduring mystery and allure that transcends time and space, “FORTUNA” is the embodiment of countless thousands of Figureheads that traversed the Worlds great oceans, holding witness to a lost art and tradition. When Maaike began this project she looked at all the surviving Ships Figureheads, in both private and public collections throughout her native Holland, she was even offered a rare opportunity to visit the reserve collection of carvings hidden away in the attic of the National Scheepvaartsmuseum in Amsterdam, but still couldn’t find a female figurehead that matched the idea already in her head, to solve this problem she crafted a three dimensional clay model, and used this as a reference point for the finished painting together with a number of preliminary sketches.
The “Hunter Figurehead Archives” offer visitors to it’s website a wonderful opportunity to buy a fine looking figurehead in the form of a young woman in a traditional costume of the nineteenth century, skilfully carved in sold mahogany, 90cm in height and 40 x 40cm with a weight of approximately 22.5 kg, (49.6 lbs) she … Read more
Two unique replica Figureheads carved by
The well respected Charles Moore
Finding an authentic Ships Figurehead in today’s Antiques market is becoming extremely difficult, and if you do find one in an antique shop or auction the prices can be prohibitive, modern day fibreglass replicas lack the appeal and weight of real wood, over 50 years ago Charles Moore gave up a well established clock making business in Clerkenwell London and moved lock stock and barrel to the beautiful Cornish coastal village of St Just-in-Roseland, finding a set of old woodcarvers chisels, and with a love or the sea and all things nautical, Charles began to carve small copies of original Figureheads that could still be found in the local harbours and villages around the coast, the local Isles of Scilly and the magnificent collection on Tresco served as inspiration in those early days.
Step into the reception of any World class hotel and you will be invariably greeted at the desk by an attractive young woman or handsome young man, always eager to help and make your stay as pleasant as possible, in the hope that you will visit them again or recommend the hotel to family and friends, was the room comfortable, the service and food good, all questions to make your stay as pleasant as possible. The facilities vary from hotel to hotel; some rely on Old World charm with a magnificent location, others modern and stylist, it’s a very competitive market.
Second Revised and Expanded Edition,If it is possible to say that a good book can be savored like a fine wine or a wonderful meal, then this book is such a feast, a delight to the sensors in so many ways, like a good meal the first impression on this book is sumptuous, one is more than eager to dig in. This second revised and expanded edition is a fascinating account of how twin brothers Arnold and Henry Kriegstein embarked on a remarkable journey to acquire the Worlds largest private collection of authentic British Admiralty Models from the seventeenth and eighteenth century, this was achieved over many years through a combination of sheer determination and rugged perseverance, between the two of them they have been rewarded with a collection of International importance.
The Second week in December from the 7th to the 10th saw the last sale of the year for Anderson & Garland the premier Auction house in the North East, broke all known 
ecords with four days of spectacular lots covering every facet of fine Art and Antiques, of particular interest has been the incredible private Maritime collection of a local Sunderland resident, built up over 60 years this had something for everyone.
På norske skip
A review by Richard Hunter Figurehead Historian
“Gallionsfigurer på norske skip” or for those of us who cannot read Norwegian “Figureheads on Norwegian Ships” by Gothe Gothesen is a newly published book from the Norwegian publishers Sem & Stenersen of Oslo, this is a far as I know the first major work on the specific subject of Norwegian Figureheads to be published, Gothe is a very well respected Scandinavian Maritime Historian with a number of other maritime related books to his credit, common with most Maritime Historians Gothe has always had a particular interest in this fascinating aspect of our rich maritime heritage.