6078

Mid-19th Century

POLYCHROME SCRIMSHAW WHALE'S TOOTH OF LADY LIBERTY ATTRIBUTED TO SAMUEL W. TENNEY, THE "KING OF THE SEA ARTIST"

Patriotic scene of a spread-wing eagle, a colossus Lady Liberty, a monument and an American-flagged warship wraps around the circumference of the tooth. Liberty, wearing an eagle helmet and holding a shield at her side and a torch aloft, gazes out toward the ship. The eagle is perched on Liberty's torch and clutches a "Liberty And Freedom" banner in its beak. The monument at Liberty's back is enveloped in American flags, a fouled anchor and a pyramid of cannonballs. The warship, flying an American flag and ensign, is possibly the U.S.S. Brandywine, the vessel on which Tenney served. Wonderfully detailed and embellished, particularly in the eagle's feathers, Liberty's dress and the design of the monument.
Length 5.25". With wooden stand.
Condition: **This item is not available for international delivery. Please be aware of your local regulations regarding the sale of marine mammal parts and bid accordingly. **
Small and unobtrusive age line at tip. Two small cracks at base are nearly invisible given their placement in the design. Small old chip at one edge of base.


The absence of a condition report does not imply an object is free of defects. All items may have normal signs of age and wear commensurate with their age; these issues will likely not be mentioned in the condition report. Please contact Eldred's before the auction with any condition questions. Questions about condition will not be answered after purchase. Condition reports are provided as a courtesy, and we are not responsible for any errors or omissions. Important note on frames: Frames are not guaranteed to be in the same condition as they are in the item photograph. Due to handling and shipping, many frames, especially antique ones, are prone to losses. If you have questions about the condition of a frame, please contact us prior to the auction. 

  • Provenance:
    Leslie Hindman Auctions, Chicago, January 24, 2010, Lot #162.
    Nina Hellman, Nantucket, Massachusetts.
    The Collection of Paul Vardeman.
    Eldred's, The Marine Sale, July 25-26, 2019, Lot #31.

    Notes:
    Samuel W. Tenney's identity was discovered by scrimshaw historian Michael Gerstein through a tooth in the collection of Historic New England. Tenney was born in Oxford, Massachusetts and served in the Navy aboard the
    Brandywine , then later on the whaleship Fenelon of New Bedford.

    Several examples of Tenney's work have come to market at Eldred's, notably Lot #623 in the November 21, 2013 auction, Lots #2 and #233 in the July 25, 2019 auction and Lot #4109 in the February 28, 2023 auction. A similar tooth to this one is illustrated in Wandering Whalemen and Their Art: A Collection of Scrimshaw Masterpieces by Alan Granby (Hyannis Port, Mass.: 2021), p. 75-76. Another Tenney tooth is illustrated in Scrimshaw and Scrimshanders, Whales and Whalemen by E. Norman Flayderman (New Milford, Ct.: N. Flayderman & Co., Inc., 1972), p. 6.

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August 8, 2024 9:30 AM EDT
East Dennis, MA, US

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