RARE SCRIMSHAW WHALE'S TOOTH WITH ANTI-SLAVERY IMAGERY Obverse, sourced from the frontispiece of Abel Bowen's The Naval Monument, de.

RARE SCRIMSHAW WHALE'S TOOTH WITH ANTI-SLAVERY IMAGERY Mid-19th Century

Obverse, sourced from the frontispiece of Abel Bowen's The Naval Monument, depicts Liberty carrying an American flag while riding a horse-drawn chariot past a monument to "Washington Independence Manly Jones" and a banner with "We have Met the Enemy and They are Ours" draped over a tower of cannons and cannonballs. Upper half of the reverse depicts standing Liberty holding a large olive branch in one hand and a staff topped with a phrygian cap in the other. She is identified below the portrait and above the Biblical verse "Christ hath made us free. Gal. 5:1". Lower half with a circular cartouche depicting a slave kneeling before Lady Justice, surrounded by "Am I Not a Man And A Brother Remember them that are in bonds as bound with them". Below the cartouche is the verse "Natives of a Land of Glory, Daughters of the good and brave! Hear the injured Negro's story; -- Hear and help the kneeling slave. Follow! -- faithful, firm confiding; -- Spread our wrongs from shore to shore; Mercy's God your efforts guiding, Slavery shall be known no more." Elements on both obverse and reverse executed in pinpoint. The base of the tooth has nearly grown together, indicating it was from a very old whale. An exceptionally detailed and fascinating tooth. Length 7.5".

Provenance:

Richard "Sam" Sylvia, Nantucket, Massachusetts, who acquired it from a Nantucket collector who indicated it came from a collection in Duxbury, Massachusetts.

The Collection of Paul Vardeman.

Condition: Typical age lines at tip and base. No significant wear or damage noted.

This item will not be shipped internationally without a CITES permit. Obtaining CITES and any other necessary permits is the obligation of the buyer.

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