West fully documented this ship by incorporating multiple viewpoints. The vessel seems to be parallel to the picture plane, and the mermaid figurehead on the prow is seen in profile. However, the back of the ship is shown in a three-quarter view, most likely to make visible the mermaid figures painted there. West also included the ship's name and homeport on a black band at the bottom of the composition; this type of lettering was a convention that might have been familiar to him from Chinese export painting on glass.

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