François Baillairgé: a sculptor of figureheads

Abstract

The Sources & Documents section has three elements: a translation of a little-known article, a reproduction of drawings from a museum archive and an interview with a living sculptor. The translation considers the work and career of the Canadian sculptor Francois Baillairge (1759–1830), who worked as an architect and wood carver, but also produced decorative schemes for ships during a period of increasing production in Canadian ship-building. The article was originally published in French in the Paris-based maritime history journal Neptunia in 1984, by Jean Belisle, now Emeritus Professor of Art History at Concordia University, Montreal. It examines Baillairge’s designs for two specific ships, the Royal Edward and the Earl of Moira, arguing that the sculptor’s iconographic schemes reflect the political concerns of the period, in particular the relationship between British North America (the Canadian colonies) and their newly independent American neighbours. The second part comprises two rare watercolour de...