Model of a lifeboat on a wagon, anonymous, 1808
wood, brass and cork, h 20.1cm × l 76.6cm × w 28.6cm Catalogue entry
Greathead was a boat builder from South Shields in England. After witnessing a shipwreck, around 1789 he designed an ‘unsinkable’ lifeboat. In the Netherlands three lifeboats based on his design were built in 1806, for service on Terschelling and at Callantsoog and Ter Heijde. These were followed by a further six in 1809. The casing of the sides in cork, however, proved to be less buoyant than anticipated.
