AMERICAN, 19TH CENTURY

Details

A SCRIMSHAW WHALE TOOTH
AMERICAN, 19TH CENTURY
Engraved with a mermaid; the reverse with a ship
6¼ inches high

Sale room notice

Please note that this lot has been withdrawn from the sale.
Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

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Andrew Holter

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Lot Essay

Finely carved with a three-masted ship on one side and an alluring mermaid waiving on the other, "lonely whalers, separated from their wives or sweethearts, were apt to incise their scrimshaw with female figures" (Charles R. Meyer Whaling and The Art of Scrimshaw (New York, 1976), pg. 151). The fascination with mythical mermaids resulted in depictions such as the one found on the present lot.

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