22

Mid-19th Century

WOODEN CUTLERY BOX WITH WHALEBONE INLAY, ASSOCIATED WITH WHALING MASTER CHARLES LITTLE

All four sides with inlaid whalebone diamonds. Inlaid whalebone plaque above handle engraved "C. Little". Dovetail construction.
Height 6.75". Length 14.25".
Condition: One plaque is a replacement, otherwise generally well-preserved.

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  • Provenance: A Third Dictionary of Scrimshaw Artists by Stuart M. Frank (Mystic, Ct.: Stuart M. Frank and Mystic Seaport Museum, 2013), p. 163-164, Charles Little was born in Westport, Massachusetts, in 1816 and was a master aboard whaling voyages sailing out of New Bedford. This is one of three pieces associated with him, though it is unclear whether he made them himself or he brought them home with him from one of his voyages. His wife Cynthia, probably the recipient of the pieces, accompanied him on at least one of the voyages he captained, aboard the vessel Congress from 1846 to 1848, or the Emma C. Jones from 1849 to 1853. The pieces descended to their eldest son George, and family history has relayed the provenance since then.

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

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