Whale tooth

A sperm whale tooth engraved with a seated figure representing Britannia. Below, a sailor is shown parting from his girl. On the other side, is a warship and a lighthouse flanked with a star and a sailor carrying a bundle on a stick over his shoulder. A whaling scene is placed above, beneath the Masonic symbols of clasped hands and a rayed eye. This type of seamen's craftwork is known as scrimshaw.

Object Details

ID: AAA0032
Collection: Decorative art
Type: Whale tooth
Display location: Not on display
Creator: Unknown
Date made: After 1850
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
Measurements: 39 x 150 x 64 mm
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