Relief depicting a Caravel

In 1531, the Guild house of the Free Sailors was built on the Graslei in Ghent. The house was designed by Christoffel van den Berghe. Above the door a sculpture is placed instead of the traditional transom. The caravel refers to the profession. This casting was made in 1895, a few years before the restoration of the facade. A caravel is a small, highly maneuverable sailing ship developed in the 15th century by the Portuguese to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean. The lateen sails gave it speed and the capacity for sailing windward (beating). Caravels were used by the Portuguese for the oceanic exploration voyages during the 15th and 16th centuries in the Age of Discovery. Prince Henry, Christopher Columbus, and Bartolomeu Dias all used a caravel.1531年，自由水手行会会馆于比利时根特的格拉斯莱伊（Graslei）落成，该建筑由克里斯托弗尔·范登贝赫（Christoffel van den Berghe）设计。正门上方并未设置传统门楣，取而代之的是一件以卡拉维尔帆船（caravel）为造型的雕塑，呼应了水手的职业属性。这座铸塑作品完成于1895年，正值该会馆外立面修复的数年前。 卡拉维尔帆船（caravel）是15世纪由葡萄牙人研发的小型高机动性帆船，最初用于沿西非海岸及大西洋海域的探索航行。其所搭载的三角纵帆（lateen sail）赋予了船只出色的航速与逆风航行（抢风航行）能力。在15至16世纪的大航海时代（Age of Discovery），卡拉维尔帆船被葡萄牙广泛应用于远洋探索航行，亨利亲王、克里斯托弗·哥伦布以及巴尔托洛梅乌·迪亚士均曾乘坐此类帆船执行航行任务。