Antique 19th c. Scrimshaw Whales Tooth. Skillfully done, detailing depicting a whaling ship with whale surrounded by scroll and floral accents. Measures 6.75x3x3. Provenance: Charleston SC private collection. Made as gifts, scrimshaw teeth depict the images that were most important to a sailor such as whaling scenes, ships, women, patriotic motifs, idyllic homesteads. Creating a scrimshaw tooth required patience and skill and took several steps. A typical process involved first making a pencil or ink drawing on paper, then laying the drawing on top of the tooth and poking pinholes through it to make an outline on the tooth. Next, a sailor would carve the drawing into the tooth using a sharp knife, and finally he would fill the grooves and indentations with black or colored pigments. We will not ship this item internationally. Purchasers should familiarize themselves with the appropriate regulations (country) prior to purchasing an item, it is their responsibility. Ref: Flayderman, E. Norman. Scrimshaw and Scrimshanders, Whales and Whalemen. New Milford, Conn.: N. Flayderman & Co., Inc., 1972

7x3x3. 16 oz.