REPRODUCTION SCRIMSHAW WITH BUST OF WOMAN

$125.00 SOLD

Quantity Available: None

Item Code: 909-172

This piece of scrimshaw was made from a whale’s tooth. It measures 4 ½” long x 2” wide at the bottom x 1” wide at the top. One side features a carving of a lady with a flower on each side of her flowing, wavy hair. Light cracks are present all over but item is very solid.

Scrimshaw is the name given to scrollwork, engravings, and carvings done in bone or ivory. Typically it refers to the handiwork created by whalers made from the byproducts from harvesting them from marine mammals. It is most commonly made out of the bones and teeth of sperm whales, the baleen of other whales, and the tusks of walruses. It takes the form of elaborate engravings in the form of pictures and lettering on the surface of the bone or tooth, with the engraving highlighted using a pigment, or, less often, small sculptures made from the same material. However the latter really fall into the categories of ivory carving, for all carved teeth and tusks, or bone carving. The making of scrimshaw began on whaling ships between 1745 and 1759 on the Pacific Ocean, and survived until the ban on commercial whaling. The practice survives as a hobby and as a trade for commercial artisans. A maker of scrimshaw is known as a scrimshander. The word first appeared in print in the early 19th century, but the etymology is uncertain.  [SM]

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