A half-length polychrome bust figurehead (without arms) of General Charles Gordon (1833–85) from an unknown merchant ship, possibly a brigantine. However, bolts through the shoulder suggest he probably had them and that they have since been lost. He is wearing a white coat with a high red and gold-edged collar. A brown strap goes across his chest from his right shoulder to his belt. The top of the stemhead has been painted brown.

His fez indicates that he was Governor-General of Sudan from the late 1870s to 1880. He returned to Khartoum in 1884 to defend it against the troops of the Mahdi Muhammad Ahmed. He became a national hero in Britain, withstanding the Mahdi’s forces for over a year before they overran the city and killed Gordon. His death was seen as a heroic sacrifice, despite ignoring government orders to withdraw.