PAIR OF MASTERPIECE POLYCHROME SCRIMSHAW WHALE'S TEETH BY ELI BANGS, JR. Mid-19th Century
The quality of workmanship, execution and impressively large size of this pair of teeth position them as the finest to ever come to market. Obverse of one tooth depicts a standing woman dressed in a blue, black, red and white gown wearing black gloves and a crown of red flowers in her hair and holding a bouquet of red flowers. Reverse depicts a bark at sea under sail. Obverse of the other tooth depicts a full-rigged ship at sea under sail and flying a house flag from the central mast and a large American flag off the stern, which wraps around the edge and slightly on to the reverse. Reverse depicts a portrait of Napoleon on horseback after Jacques-Louis David's "Napoleon Crossing the Alps". Each side is further embellished with extravagant feathery and draping polychrome borders that arch over the primary image. The depiction of the ground/water on both teeth wraps around the circumference of the base, and both have red and dark green floral and foliate sprigs at the tips. The pair is mounted in matching yellow metal footed bases attributed to Edward Farmer (New York, Early 20th Century), with filigree sockets and embossed classical motifs. Heights on bases 10.5".
Provenance:
A private collection for more than 40 years.
Accompanied by a January 15, 2013 letter of authentication from Stuart M. Frank, Senior Curator, New Bedford Whaling Museum and Founding Director of the Scrimshaw Forensics Laboratory. Frank certifies the pair is genuine teeth from the same jaw of a sperm whale and that the work is that of Eli Bangs, Jr. Frank describes the pair as "the quality of workmanship and over-all execution of this pair are of very superior quality, altogether a scrimshaw of the first magnitude on any scale of measure -- masterworks by Eli Bangs ...".


A smaller and lesser pair of extensively polychrome scrimshawed teeth by Eli Bangs, Jr., which also depict Napoleon crossing the Alps and a full-rigged ship, are part of the New Bedford Whaling Museum collection and are illustrated in Scrimshaw and Provenance by Stuart M. Frank (Mystic, Ct.: Mystic Seaport, 2013), p. 20, fig. 2, and Ingenious Contrivances, Curiously Carved by Stuart M. Frank (Boston: David R. Godine, 2012), fig. 7.39.

According to Scrimshaw and Provenance and Ingenious Contrivances, Curiously Carved, Eli Bangs, Jr. was a ship's cooper aboard the whaleship Helen Mar of New Bedford from 1856 to 1861. He was born in Bridgeton, New Jersey in 1836 to Eli A. Bangs and Mary Schuek, who died shortly after his birth. Bangs was raised by his father and his two subsequent wives. His only documented whaling voyage was aboard the Helen Mar, during which he was a shipmate of "whaleman-artist" Robert W. Weir, Jr., son of noted Hudson River School artist Robert W. Weir. After his stint as a whaleman, Bangs joined the 5th Delaware Union Army Volunteers, achieving the rank of lieutenant during the Civil War. Following the war he worked as a cooper and carpenter in Wilmington and Baltimore, married and had six children. He died in 1923. In addition to this pair of teeth, he is credited with producing an elaborate mantle ornament and a smaller pair of teeth, both acquired by the New Bedford Whaling Museum from his descendants.

These teeth feature traditional themes of scrimshaw, including a beautiful woman and seagoing vessels, in addition to a dynamic portrait of Napoleon. While an image of Napoleon, whom the American public viewed as both an ally against the British during the War of 1812 and as a tyrant who betrayed democratic ideology, may seem incongruous on a piece of American scrimshaw, it is a frequent and prominent motif, perhaps by happenstance of geography: St. Helena, the remote south Atlantic island where Napoleon was exiled and interred, was a frequent stop for homeward-bound ships. Whalemen and other mariners would visit the Napoleonic shrines there, though they were practically the only souls who even had the opportunity.

Conditions of Sale

1. CORRECTNESS OF DESCRIPTION: Robert C. Eldred Co., Inc. (hereinafter referred to as Eldred's) has exercised reasonable care to catalog and describe correctly the property to be sold, but neither Eldred's nor its consignors warrant the correctness of description, attribution, authenticity, or condition of said property. No statements shall be deemed such a warranty or representation or an assumption of liability with respect thereto, but are to be construed as opinions only. Bidders are encouraged to personally examine all property to be sold prior to the beginning of the auction.

2. Unless otherwise announced by the auctioneer at the time of sale, all bids are per lot as numbered.

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5. REJECTION OF BIDS: The auctioneer reserves the right to reject any nominal raise or any bid or raise which, in his opinion, is not commensurate with the value of the article being offered. At his discretion, he may also reject any nominal raise or any bid that he may determine as having a detrimental effect on the item in question or the sale as a whole. Eldred's may refuse to issue bidding privileges to any person not in good credit standing with Eldred's, who has no credit standing, or to any person who is deemed by Eldred's in its sole discretion, to be disruptive of or harmful to established auction practices, either before or after the acceptance of bids or the fall of the hammer.

6. TITLE: Except as herein otherwise provided, title will pass to the highest bidder as determined by the auctioneer, and the property is thereafter at the purchaser's sole risk and responsibility.

7. PAYMENT: On title passing to the highest bidder acknowledged by the auctioneer, and subject to all the conditions set forth herein, such bidder will thereupon pay the full purchase price. Payment in full is due within 7 days of the time of sale. Any bills not paid in full within 25 days of the date of the sale will accrue interest at a rate of 1.5% per month. In addition, the purchaser may be subject to one or more of the following actions: a) Any and all legal remedies available to Eldred's and its consignors by law including without limitation the right to hold the purchaser liable for the total purchase price; b) Immediate cancellation of the sale, with Eldred's retaining as liquidated damages all payments made by the purchaser; c) Resale of the property at public auction, wherein the original purchaser shall be liable for any deficiency, costs, and Eldred's commission on both sales. At Eldred's option, payment will not be deemed to have been made in full until Eldred's has collected funds represented by checks, or in the case of bank or cashier's checks, their authenticity has been confirmed. A buyer's premium will be added to the hammer price to be paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price.

8. ORDER BIDS: Subject to these Conditions of Sale and to such terms and conditions as it may prescribe, but at no charge to the customer, Eldred's will undertake to execute all order bids submitted to it by a customer who has established credit with said company. Requests for such bidding must be given in writing with such clearness as to leave no room for misunderstanding as to the amount to be bid and must state the catalog number and the name or title of the article to be bid on. Telephone bids must be confirmed in writing or by cable. All bids are kept in strict confidence. In the event of identical bids, the earliest will take precedence (This applies to bids left directly with Eldred's NOT for online left bids). IMPORTANT ONLINE BIDDING NOTE: Because the live auction console does not differentiate between left bids and live bids, the first bid accepted by the auctioneer is the winning bid, regardless of the time the bid was originally left. Eldred's shall not be held responsible for errors or failure to execute bids. A deposit of 10% of the total amount bid is required. TELEPHONE BIDS: While the sale is in progress, bidding by telephone may be allowed by the auctioneer at his discretion. A deposit of 10% of the anticipated top bid is required. Eldred's shall not be held responsible for any failure to properly execute such a bid whether it be due to equipment failure, loss of connection, or failure to hear or understand the bidder's directions. Any advice or opinions provided by Eldred's or its employees are given strictly as a courtesy and are not a warrant of condition, attribution, authenticity, or description of said property. All bidding by telephone is solely at the risk of the bidder.

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10. SALES TAX: All purchases are subject to the Massachusetts sales tax (currently 6.25%) unless the purchaser A) possesses a Massachusetts sales tax exemption or resale number and registers that number with the company, B) is an out-of-state vendor who meets all the requirements of Massachusetts Department of Revenue GLC 64H 1(5) and Directive 89-10 and registers with the company prior to each purchase, or C) has purchases shipped out of state directly from Eldred's by a bona fide shipping agent. Dealers, museums, etc. can apply for a Massachusetts number prior to the auction by contacting the Massachusetts Department of Corporations and Taxation, 100 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA 02204.

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13. PACKING and Shipping. In all cases the packing and shipping will be handled by an outside agent and arranged for by the purchaser. Eldreds uses the local UPS store or Pak Mail store. Eldred's will provide alternative shipping suggestions for items to large to be handled by these firms. Any other arrangements are the responsibility of the purchaser. Eldred(TM)s must be informed as to such arrangements. After payment purchases will not be kept in Eldred(TM)s possession pending delivery, for more than a week. The UPS store, Pak Mail Store or shipper of purchasers discretion will be responsible for removing them and storing them at the purchasers expense until shipment. Eldred's will not be responsible for damage or loss once the item has been received by the shipper. In the case of fragile articles, shipping will be undertaken at the sole discretion of the shipper.

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15. Bidding on any article(s) indicates acceptance of the terms set forth above.

16. These Conditions of Sale

Absentee Bids

Because of the manner in which our online system processes and transmits left bids, Eldred's does not receive bid information until the exact moment of sale. Because the bidding console does not differentiate between left bids and live bids, the first bid accepted by the auctioneer is the winning bid, regardless of the time the bid was originally left.

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Shipping

We require prompt payment and removal of your purchases as stated in Paragraph 12 of the Conditions of Sale. If you plan to pick up your purchases, please call ahead and we'll make every effort to have your items ready. Our physical address is 1483 Route 6A, East Dennis, MA. Pick up of smaller items at our Mystic, CT location is also available with advance notice.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to provide shipping quotes until the invoice had been paid in full.
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COLLECTION OF PURCHASES: Delivery or shipping arrangements must be made within seven (7) days from the close of the auction for all purchases. All items must be removed from Eldred's facilities within fourteen (14) days of the end of the auction. All items remaining after fourteen days may be subject to a $5/per item/per day storage fee. No items will be released unless storage fees are paid in full. Items remaining over thirty (30) days from the close of the auction may be sold for the buyer's account minus auction and storage fees.

Buyer's Premium

A 25% Buyer's Premium will be charged on successful bids. This is inclusive of the the 5% on-line auction fee. All purchases are subject to the Massachusetts sales tax (currently 6.25%) unless the purchaser possesses a Massachusetts sales tax exemption or resale number and registers that number with the company or has purchases shipped out of state (with the exception of Connecticut) directly from Eldred's by a bona fide shipping agent. Connecticut residents picking items up in our Mystic branch or having purchases shipped to their Connecticut address are responsible for CT state sales sax.

Condition Reports

Prospective buyers should satisfy themselves by personal inspection as to the condition of each lot. Although condition reports may be given on request, such reports are statements of opinion only. Regardless of whether or not a condition report is given, all property is sold subject to Paragraph 1. of the Conditions of Sale which provides that all property is sold "as is". The absence of a condition report does not imply that the property is in good condition. All dimensions are approximate. Eldreds will make every reasonable effort to respond to all emails or phone calls relative to condition up until 24 hours before the sale. If there is no condition report on the web it does not necessarily mean that the item is without repair, refinish, restoration etc. It is the responsibility of the prospective purchaser to contact Eldreds if they are concerned about the condition of an item beyond what is listed online.

Contract

Your bid is a legally binding contract. Upon the fall of the auctioneer's hammer, title will pass to the highest bidder, and the property is thereafter at the purchaser's sole risk and responsibility. Users must register and be approved to bid before the auction. Eldred's reserves the right to deny approval for any reason. Accounts with private feedback will be approved under any circumstances.