Very Rare Nantucket Sleigh Whale Boat Iron BOW NOSE

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Very Rare Nantucket Sleigh Whale Boat Iron BOW NOSE

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Sold Date: 10/09/2007
Channel: Online Auction
Source: eBay
Category: Fine Art

This is a very very rare whale boat artifact that is a cast iron blacksmith forged boat nose that was once attached to bow of the small boats that were released from the whaler. Measures 16 inches long in a wishbone shape with a ornate sleigh like curved Viking hook at the end. This tip hook which would be fixed at the bow of the boat when the iron was attached would serve for more than decoration or as a mast head. It kept the rope attached to a harpoon from crossing across the boat compartment and injuring sailors as a harpooned whale quickly changed direction. Yes, the fast ride experienced by the sailors on the boat as the whale raced for its life had a large impact on coining the phrase Nantucket sleigh ride. The term was popularised by whale killing off nantucket island and found mainly in old whaling books including Moby Dick . This very harrowing and dangerous time while the whale sped away was called the "Nantucket Sleigh Ride". The favored way by most early whalers to acquire whales was to harpoon the whale with a rope attached, let the rope out somewhat, then hold it tight to the whaling boat. The whale would then swim rapidly away from the boat but was fastened to the boat by harpoon and rope. The goal was to tire the whale out and the boat being fastened to the whale meant it couldn't get away from the whalers. However, this rare type bow nose on the earlier harpoon boats even made the boats look like sleighs, so metal pieces like these certainly helped the term stick if not helped to create the phrase. Another nice historical fact that I discovered and felt it was time to sell at least one of these bow tips. I know of no museums and I visited most of them that have a whaling artifact as rare as this one. Harpoons are very difficult to find and these bow noses are 100 times harder to find. Very nice iron work that is the "bubble iron" of low carbon content that is nearly always pre 1860's. One note, t are two round holes on one side of the bow nose to attach it to the boat and two square holes on the other. The square holes suggest a later date and was probably a modification to attach this to a later boat for some reason. All original except I believe that two attachment holes were cut square later in the life of this artifact.

It is unknown when humans began hunting whales. The earliest archaeological record of whaling is found in South Korea w carved drawings, dating back to 6,000 BC, show that Stone Age people hunted whales using boats and spears. However, over time, whaling techniques have grown more technologically sophisticated. Initially, whaling was confined to (near) coastal water, such as the Basque fishery targeting the Atlantic Northern right whale around 15th to 18th century and the Atlantic Arctic fishery around and in between Spitzbergen and Greenland from around the 17th to the 20th century. However, after the emergence of modern whaling techniques, certain species of whale started to be seriously affected by whaling. These techniques were spurred in the 19th century by the increase in demand for whale oil, and later in the 20th century by a demand for whale meat. Whaling history has affected both the development of many cultures as well as their environment.

A little whaling history: The Whaling era took place from the 1700's to the early 1900's. At first whalemen hunted for the meat and then they shifted to the oil extracted from whale blubber. Whale oil was the primarily used for lamp fuel in many parts of the world. In 1859, petroleum was discovered and whale oil became a less necessary commodity. The usage of whale oil also declined with the popularization of kersosene after the 1860's. Hunting whales might have died after the Civil War, but it continued for the baleen of the whale. Baleen was used for umbrellas, buggy whips, fishing rods, and hair brushes. The baleen could be molded for use in a variety of every day objects. Baleen could be found in the whale's upper mouth. Baleen, rich in keratin, contained much strength and flexibility. It was used fo...