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Lot Essay
This finely carved tooth is of exceptional quality and is exquisitely executed. With its one side depicting a whaling ship holding steady as its crew of whalers launched their longboat in preparation for the hunt, the verso illustrates the point in time when the courageous whalemen have found their prey and are about to harpoon a right whale. The viewer can feel the excitement of the moment with the thrashing waves, the wind swirling as the whale expels its misty air from its blowhole, the seagulls flying up above. The anticipation of a Nantucket sleigh ride is palpable. The tip of the tooth is highlighted with a "monkeys fist" and the base is accented by a braided rope. This tooth serves as a narrative to or a memento to the carver and is a based on one of the most iconic 19th century whaling images Attacking the Right Whale, Ambroise-Louis Garneray, c. 1835 (now in the collection of the Peabody Essex Museum). The painting also inspired one of the most popular whaling series of Currier & Ives prints as well as etchings by Frederick Martens (one example sold Northeast auctions, August 15-17, 2008, lot 1329).