A three-quarter length polychrome figurehead of Sir Lancelot of the Lake from the composite three-masted clipper Sir Lancelot (1865). He is clad in patterned plate armour with a white plume in his helmet, and wearing brown leather gauntlets and a red sash at his waist where it joins the scroll at the top of the stempost. His left arm is by his side and his right is raised, slightly in front of his body.

The Nineteenth Century saw an emerging interest in medieval history and myths of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. This manifested itself in art, literature and architecture from the pre-Raphaelite movement to gothic revivalism. The chivalric codes the knights abided by, as well as ideas of chastity and virtue, also struck a chord. Illustrated editions of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poems, with many inspired by Arthurian legends, were very popular and would have been freely available for carvers. Within these narratives, Lancelot took on a romantic and tragic role narrative because of his destructive love for Queen Guinevere.