This finely carved figurehead of a boy with dove is a reference to the biblical story of Noah's Ark. After the great flood Noah released a dove in order to find land. The dove came back carrying an olive leaf as a sign of renewed life and heralded the safe return of all aboard to land. Many artists have depicted this return with the dove landing in the hands of a child, another nod to new beginnings.
Birds have been the friends of sailors for millennia. The use of doves or birds by ancient navigators to find land are mentioned in the traditions of many cultures, as far back as ancient Mesopotamia (20th-10th century BCE) and include many others such as the Vikings and the early Polynesians. Additionally, the dove has been used as a symbol of the divine both in the bible and earlier, throughout many cultures of the ancient world.
Those who sailed aboard the ship bearing this figurehead would have also hoped for divine assistance in a safe return to land and calm on the waters making this a powerful symbol of the hopes of every person to set out upon the seas throughout history.
The carving is well done, with excellent detail throughout. The boy wears fine clothing- a long jacket over black breeches trimmed in red. At his waist the jacket is gathered in a twisted rope belt with tasseled ends, highlighting the excellent carving of the flowing, folded fabric which appears to sweep backward, caught in the wind just as the clothes of a real boy would be aboard ship.
Under the jacket he wears a white shirt with black buttons and a small red tie around the neck. The face is particularly well carved, and given that it is inset may have been contributed by a more skilled carver. His dark brown hair is trimmed in a boyish style of the period, bobbed with a slight curl at the ends. His bent arms end with upturned hands cradling a white dove. On his feet are sturdy brown boots over red and black socks.
The figure has a nice patina and retains many touches of original paint. His arms can be removed at the shoulder- a common feature in figureheads to save more delicate elements from damage in rough seas. The figure is attached to a later wood frame which allows it to tilt at the same angle it would have been aboard ship. In very good condition with no dry rot.
