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6071
Mid-19th Century
POLYCHROME SCRIMSHAW WHALE'S TOOTH WITH PATRIOTIC MONTAGE AND "LADY OF LIMA"
Obverse depicts "Liberty" and "E Pluribus Unum" above a spread-wing eagle with a red collar at its neck, a shield at its breast and arrows in its talons. The eagle is perched on a stylized Liberty shield balanced atop opposing cannons and cannonballs and flanked by American flags. Reverse depicts the "Lady of Lima", a full-length view of a woman wearing a veil, revealing just one eye. Whalers often stopped at the port of Callao and traveled to nearby Lima, one of the most sophisticated cities of the New World. The Tapada Limeñas, the denomination of women in the area who covered their heads and faces in this manner, existed from the 16th Century to well into the 19th Century and were considered a national symbol, seen in dozens of artworks and published illustrations. Titled in serifed lettering below. Deep patina.
Length 5.75".
Condition: Chipped at tip. Base cut flat, with chipping, age lines and cracks, the longest extending approx. 1.5".
**This item contains animal and/or plant material and is not available for international delivery without CITES and other necessary permits, licenses, and certificates. Obtaining the appropriate documentation is the sole obligation of the buyer. Eldred's is not able to assist with obtaining the appropriate documentation, and we offer no assurances that the documentation can be obtained. Please be aware of current international, domestic and your own local regulations and bid accordingly.**
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.
**This item contains animal and/or plant material and is not available for international delivery without CITES and other necessary permits, licenses, and certificates. Obtaining the appropriate documentation is the sole obligation of the buyer. Eldred's is not able to assist with obtaining the appropriate documentation, and we offer no assurances that the documentation can be obtained. Please be aware of current international, domestic and your own local regulations and bid accordingly.**
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.
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Provenance:
Descended in the family of Charles Freed, a Swedish immigrant who worked as a ship's carpenter in New York City in the late 19th/Early 20th Century, then gifted to the consignor in 2002. Freed's granddaughter believed he may have received it from a friend or as payment for carpentry work.
Notes:
This tooth bears several similarities and is probably by the same hand as one from the Collection of Paul Vardeman sold at Eldred's, The Marine Sale, July 25, 2019, Lot #25. Vardeman had noted his tooth was probably by the same hand as a tooth and cane sold at Skinner, Inc., Boston, November 4, 2017, Lot #144.
A tooth with a similar portrait of a woman of Lima is part of the New Bedford Whaling Museum Collection and is illustrated in Ingenious Contrivances, Curiously Carved by Stuart M. Frank (Boston: David R. Godine, 2012), fig. 8.11.
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March 3, 2026 9:30 AM EST
East Dennis, MA, US
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