A full-length figurehead of a gannet from HMS Gannet (1857)

A full-length polychrome figurehead of a gannet standing on the stemhead scroll from the 11-gun wooden screw sloop Gannet (1857).

The gannet is carved with its wings folded, standing on the billet-head, as if waiting to dive into the water to catch fish. This is a simple figurehead, but the bird’s characteristics as a voracious hunter were perfect for the political statement it was making.

Object Details

ID: FHD0079
Collection: Figureheads
Type: Figurehead
Display location: Display - Neptune Court
Creator: Dickerson, Frederick
Vessels: Gannet (1857)
Date made: 1857
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
Measurements: Overall: 1600 mm x 609 mm x 1143 mm