42

Mid-19th Century

SCRIMSHAW WHALE'S TOOTH ATTRIBUTED TO THE ARCH ENGRAVER

Obverse depicts a ship under sail, flying a long pennant from the mainmast and a large American flag off the stern. Possibly some traces of polychroming to flag. Reverse depicts two whaleboats under sail in pursuit of a pod of five surfaced whales. Each boat with six whalemen, the boatheaders standing to steer the boats and the harpooners poised to throw. A thin arch surrounds the reverse scene.
Length 9.25".
Condition: Typical age lines and uneven surfaces. Old divot on one edge, possibly created when the tooth was removed from the jawbone. Some light ink loss.
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  • Provenance:
    A Scrimshaw Collection Originating on Nantucket Island.

    Note:
    This tooth is undoubtedly by the same hand as three that were part of the Thomas Mittler Scrimshaw Collection, illustrated in Through the Eyes of a Collector by Nina Hellman (2015), figs. 49, 50 and 51, and sold at Eldred's, The Marine Sale, July 20, 2017, Lot #9. Those three teeth were from the same jawbone and the scenes on them correlate with each other, relaying the story of a whale capture. It is possible this tooth is from the same jawbone, given it is nearly the same shape and size as the others, and that it depicts two more scenes from the same "story".

    Most of the scenes on the four teeth are topped with a thin arch, from which the moniker "The Arch Engraver" is derived.

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April 29, 2021 9:30 AM EDT
East Dennis, MA, US

Eldred's

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