6017

Circa 1835

WILLIAM SIZER POLYCHROME SCRIMSHAW WHALE'S TOOTH WITH LADY'S PORTRAIT

Half-length medallion portrait of a lady with an elaborate hairdo, holding the long ribbon of her fancy hat in her right hand. Framed within a sunburst.
Length 6.25".
Condition: Fracture/abrasion at tip. Small age crack at base.
**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. 

  • Provenance:
    The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. John Miklos.

    Notes:
    This tooth is typical of William Sizer's work, and one with a nearly identical portrait is seen in Ingenious Contrivances, Curiously Carved by Stuart M. Frank (Boston: David R. Godine, 2012), p. 25, fig. 3.1b. Frank describes the lady's attire as "vaguely Renaissance [...] the characteristic trademark of William Sizer's scrimshaw even where no ship portrait or whaling scene appears". Other similar examples have come to market at Eldred's, and an unattributed Sizer tooth was part of the Barbara Johnson Collection sold at Sotheby's New York, September 24-25, 1982, Lot #466.

    In Frank's Scrimshaw and Provenance: A Third Dictionary of Scrimshaw Artists (Mystic, Ct.: Mystic Seaport, 2013), p. 258-259, Sizer is described as a Franco-Azorean whaleman from New England, who was believed to have been onboard an 1834-1837 voyage of the whaleship "L.C. Richmond" of Bristol, Rhode Island. He produced a number of outstanding teeth, some of which had portraits of the "L.C. Richmond", some of which are signed, and some of which bear portraits of women, similar to this example. Sizer, born in 1801 in Chester, Massachusetts, died at sea in 1840 and was buried in Tahiti.

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March 3, 2026 9:30 AM EST
East Dennis, MA, US

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