SCRIMSHAW WHALE'S TOOTH DEPICTING A HARPOONED MERMAID A whimsical scene of a whaleman standing at the bow of a whaleboat to harpoon...

SCRIMSHAW WHALE'S TOOTH DEPICTING A HARPOONED MERMAID Mid-19th Century

A whimsical scene of a whaleman standing at the bow of a whaleboat to harpoon a mermaid. The mermaid, colossal in scale to the whaleboat and the ship on the reverse, has long hair, large almond-shaped eyes, a long neck and tiny hands, and she is wearing cross-shaped dangly earrings. She has already been pierced by one harpoon as the whaleman takes aim with another, and both harpoons are tied by looping lengths of rope. The whaleboat's six whalemen are wearing striped shirts and have delightfully expressive faces. Much of the imagery is rendered with fine parallel and concentric undulating lines, similar to traditional Japanese water patterns. Length 6.25".

Provenance:

The Bill Coffin Collection. It is said Coffin prized this tooth and kept it on his living room mantel.

Rafael Osona Auctions, Nantucket, Massachusetts, August 8, 2004, Lot #122.

The Collection of Paul Vardeman.

Condition: Typical age lines and small cracks at base and 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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