Alice carries stone, but here I mean ships made of stone or other unlikely material like terracotta and processed ores. Less functional they are than concrete canoes but much more ceremonial. They’re all over. Here are some of my favorite from New York.
Above is the restored facade of the Audubon Ballroom, notorious for the assassination of Malcolm X. Before that it was a place of entertainment and union organizing. The figurehead is identified as Neptune, the ship the Argo, but the figure holding torch and anchor has no name. Not fair. By the way . . . what is she? Answer is NOT mermaid.
She who blesses ships on 20 Exchange Place.
Memories of ships such as the Maine at Merchant’s Gate to Central Park.
Some obscure penteconter (scroll down from”galley”) near Wall Street.The smudge midsail is a metal bracket and two bored holes below the oars are puzzling.
So . . what are your favorite stone ships? More on that creature above in tomorrow’s post; a hint is that she’s resembles the logo of the company supposedly named after the first mate in Moby Dick.
By the way, interested in stone ships, women, men, etc. check out Dianne L. Durante’s great new book.
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May 2, 2007 at 1:49 pm
suburbanlife
I suspect the female figure bearing the torch and holding the anchor may be a Nereid.
These are wonderful stone sculptures – There is a wonderful building in vancouver BC called the Marine Building which is chock full of beautiful relief sculptures, really enriches the architecture of our city.
May 2, 2007 at 6:16 pm
bonnie
Child’s Restaurant. Coney Island. Terracotta not stone, but quite lovely. Funny, looks a bit related color & stylewise to the Audubon one. I’m pretty sure I’ve got more pictures of this building at home that I took myself, hmmm…
As it is, I’m still at work & don’t seem to have any medallion pictures of my own where I could find them, but found that on Forgotten NY.
May 17, 2013 at 10:30 pm
Launa
Wow that was odd. I just wrote an very long comment but after I clicked
submit my comment didn’t show up. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all
that over again. Anyways, just wanted to say superb blog!