This Royal Naval Admiralty pattern dolphin is made out of hollow cast brass, it was likely a fitting on an Admiral’s barge or pinnace. 

After ornamentation on ships peaked in around the 1700s, the Admiralty imposed restrictions on decorative features. This led to a significant reduction in embellishments on lower-ranking vessels, though elaborate details were sometimes preserved on first-rate and second-rate ships.

This object was scanned in situ at the Devonport Naval Heritage Centre.

*The base of the object was recreated in Blender*