Looking for info on Naval Figureheads and naming schemes
Howdy, fellow seamen:
I'm finishing up my undergrads in Classics and History, and while playing SOG the other day it occurred to me a good avenue to connect the two would be Neoclassicism in the 18th-19th century. While obviously there's a lot of Art and literary Neoclassicism in this period (Take for example, the painting of Napoleon visiting plague victims at Jaffa, in which he is posed in much the same manner as the Belvedere Apollo, the god of plagues), I'm looking to find some info on Naval Neoclassicism.
Are there any good books / sources out there for any of the following:
1. The rationale behind naming ships or classes of ships after figures in Classical Antiquity (HMS Juno, Achille, HMS Agamemnon, etc.)
2. Art books with collections of figureheads of Napoleonic warships, potentially carved to resemble ancient characters.
3. Plates with figureheads
4. Actual material culture from the era which evinces Ancient ideas.
5 Writings of the time that are classical in nature - (A captain comparing his plight to that of Odysseus, or something of that ilk)
Basically, any connections between European navies and the Ancient World. Full disclosure, this will be part of a larger senior thesis on Classical Reception (That is, how various periods in history interpret and mimic Ancient Greece and Rome). I'd be grateful if anyone could point me in the right direction. Thanks in advances, mates!
:drinks:
