April 1, 2024
SCRIMSHAW OXBONE & WOOD CARVING - LETTER OPENER MONKEYS
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Very finely made oxbone & carved wood scrimshaw letter opener. Measuring 10.5" long this letter opener has crab carvings to the opener itself, the scabbard has monkeys carved into it. Scrimshaw is the name given to handiwork created by whalers made from the byproducts of harvesting marine mammals. It is most commonly made out of the bones and teeth of Sperm Whales, the baleen of other whales, and the tusks of walruses. It takes the form of elaborate carvings in the form of pictures and lettering on the surface of the bone or tooth, with the engravings highlighted using a pigment, or small sculptures made from the same material. The making of scrimshaw began on whaling ships between 1817 to 1824 on the Pacific Ocean, and survived until the ban on commercial whaling. The practice survives as a hobby and as a trade for commercial artisans. A maker of scrimshaw is known as a scrimshander. While scrimshaw is rarely done on whale bone these days, the art is still practiced by a few artists. Common modern materials would be micarta and camel bone. Modern scrimshaw typically retains the nautical themes of historical scrimshaw, but can also go well outside of the traditional.
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