Euterpe Figurehead

Sculpture

-

Maritime Museum of San Diego

Name/Title

Euterpe Figurehead

Entry/Object ID

1927.001.001.c

Description

Carved wooden figurehead depicted Euterpe, the muse of music

Collection

Star of India Collection

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

Sutherland, George (carver)

Role

Artist

Time Period

1860's

Place

City

Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Location

Scotland

Country

United Kingdom

Continent

Europe

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Tertiary Object Term

Figurehead

Nomenclature Secondary Object Term

Carving, Marine

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Component, Watercraft

Nomenclature Sub-Class

Water Transportation Accessories

Nomenclature Class

Water Transportation Equipment

Nomenclature Category

Category 07: Distribution & Transportation Objects

Web Links and URLs

Video about 1988 restoration, NBC San Diego news video about 2021 restoration, LA Times story about the 2021 restoration

Interpretative Labels

Label

The figurehead on the Star of India is original to the Euterpe - the first name given to this vessel. It was carved and mounted at the time of her launching in 1863. The figurehead was made by the Glasgow wood carver, George Sutherland. Sutherland lived from 1827-1879. He is listed as a shipyard worker in one of the Glasgow boatyards. Sutherland carved the figurehead from a solid piece of pine. Most of the figurehead seen today at the bow of the Star of India is original and it is painted white, just as it had been in 1863. The figurehead last underwent major restoration in late 1987 and early 1988. In 1987 during routine maintenance, museum curators discovered serious dry rot at the base of the figurehead. After a sometimes heated debate between restorers, curators, and museum trustees, it was decided to remove the figurehead for restoration. This debate centered around the question of just how much of the original should be reconstructed. In 1864, the left arm of the figurehead had been sheared off in a collision with an unnamed Spanish brig off the coast of Wales. It had never been repaired. Some maintained that the missing arm was an integral part of the story of Euterpe and should not be replaced. It was, as one prominent member of the museum stated, “an honorable scar received during a historic event.” Others argued for a more complete restoration and a reconstruction of the missing arm. The reconstructionists won the day. The figurehead was restored in the hold of the Star of India by Walt Jacobsen who had been the museum’s woodcarver for six years at the time. He first fashioned a replacement piece out of clay to demonstrate what the new carving would resemble. Permission was granted on the condition that as little as possible of the original figurehead would be chipped away to complete the restoration.