SCRIMSHAW WHALE'S TOOTH ATTRIBUTED TO THE LOCKET ENGRAVER Obverse with two ship portraits, one identified as the "John Adams". Rever..

SCRIMSHAW WHALE'S TOOTH ATTRIBUTED TO THE LOCKET ENGRAVER 1840s

Obverse with two ship portraits, one identified as the "John Adams". Reverse with a stern view of a ship sailing toward a coastal lighthouse. All the ships are flying assorted flags and pennants, including an American flag flying from the stern. Length 4.5".

This tooth is mentioned in Scrimshaw and

Provenance: A Third Dictionary of Scrimshaw Artists by Stuart M. Frank (Mystic, Ct.: Stuart M. Frank and Mystic Seaport Museum, 2013), p. 164, in Frank's description of the Locket Engraver. Frank writes that Judge Vardeman coined the moniker "Locket Engraver" after identifying six teeth in public and private collections attributed to the anonymous artisan. Others have been more recently discovered. While this tooth does not depict a lady with a locket -- the characterization that inspired the byname -- it does have the typical portraits of U.S. Navy vessels.

Provenance:

The Barbara Johnson Collection of Scrimshaw and Whaling Artifacts, Rafael Osona Auctions, August 14, 1993, Lot #86 (illustrated on cover).

The Collection of Paul Vardeman.

Condition: Small chips at base and tip. Typical age lines at tip.

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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