79

Circa 1860

PAIR OF SCRIMSHAW WHALE'S TEETH "HOPE" AND "VICTORIOUS", DESCENDED IN THE HOWLAND FAMILY

According to family history, noted in a letter that accompanies the pair, the teeth were engraved by Samuel Angelo Howland when he was a boy serving on a whaling voyage out of New Bedford or Fairhaven, circa 1860. Obverse of "Hope" tooth depicts sunrays and a foliate garland framing "Hope" and a port-side portrait of a three-masted vessel flying flags and pennants from the masts and an American flag off the stern. Subtle rope-like border at base of sea. Reverse depicts sunrays and a ribbon garland, a bust portrait of a woman flanked by fronds, a spread-wing eagle clutching arrows, olive branches and a Liberty shield in its talons, and a well-detailed close-up view of a whaling scene with three whaleboats, one under sail, in pursuit of two surfaced whales. Obverse of "Victorious" tooth depicts an anchor wrapped in rope, a Liberty shield backed by implements and cannons, a foliate garland, and a monumental figure of Victory, holding a laurel crown and an American flag on a pole topped with a phrygian cap. She stands on a plinth labeled "Victorious", and to the left is a small scene of a three-masted vessel at sea, flying a long pennant from the mainmast and an American flag off the stern. Reverse depicts a foliate motif, a double-headed eagle clutching a shield, an American flag, a solid flag and a long streamer, and a port-view portrait of a three-masted vessel flying assorted flags and pennants, including an American flag off the foremast. Some polychroming throughout both teeth. Fine details and workmanship.
Lengths approx. 6.5".
Condition: "Victorious" with chip at tip, mostly impacting reverse. Base cut mostly flat. Some minor age lines at base, save for an approx. 1.5" crack on obverse which extends from base into Victory's skirt. "Hope" with smaller chip at tip. Base cut mostly flat but is chipped in several places and has some age lines. Both teeth with scattered age lines and other wear commensurate with age.

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  • Provenance:
    Samuel Angelo Howland to his grandson Richard Hubbard Howland in 1924.
    Rafael Osona Auctions, Nantucket, Massachusetts, August 13, 1994.
    Private Massachusetts Collection.
    A letter from Richard Howard Howland accompanies the lot.

    Notes:
    Samuel Angelo Howland, born in 1846, was the son of Olney Gifford Howland and a descendant of Henry Howland, who emigrated to Plymouth in 1624, four years after his brother John came to Plymouth aboard the Mayflower. The family is also related to Hetty Green, known as "The Witch of Wall Street", Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, and Winston Churchill. Richard Howard Howland was a noted historian who served as president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the late 1950s. His letter indicates his grandfather gave him the pair of teeth when he was 12 years old, and that he was unsure of the name of the ship his grandfather served aboard, nor the exact dates of the whaling voyage.

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August 19, 2021 9:30 AM EDT
East Dennis, MA, US

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