Rudder head of a coastal vessel, 18th century
This type of exuberant ship decoration is only known from Dutch shipping. This rudder head is one of the oldest in our collection and also the largest. The winged helmet refers to Mercury (Mercurius), the god of merchants, and the lion's head to the strong and cunning Hercules (Heracles).
A rudder head is a carving that was attached to the rudder of many ships as decoration. This refers to ships that were steered with a tiller, which was an extension of the rudder. Rudder heads could depict anything from flowers and animals to female figures and classical heroes. Although the man on this rudder head looks like someone from the 18th century with his lace collar, he is probably the Greek mythological figure Heracles (Latin: Hercules). He can be recognised by the lion skin he wore as armour, with the lion's head as a hood. This rudder head is a rarity: only a few have survived that are as large and beautifully crafted as this one. Unfortunately, it is not known on which ship this head was located. Given its size, it was probably a decent cuff or galiot. In addition, the rudder head was clearly facing forward, so that the helmsman could always be sure that Hercules was looking over his shoulder.
This object was donated by Gottfried Carel Eduard Crone, a collector of ship decorations and models and author of the book ‘Nederlandse jachten, binnenschepen, vissersvaartuigen en daarmee verwante kleine zeeschepen, 1650–1900’ (Dutch yachts, inland vessels, fishing vessels and related small seagoing vessels, 1650–1900). In this book, he writes about this oar head: ‘The man's head pictured here is 100 cm high. I acquired it in Dordrecht in 1920, where it had been stored in an attic for a long time.’ Although we cannot say for certain, the colour and gilding of the oar head are probably original.
