Lot 563
  • 563

Engraved whale bone busk with ship and angel Probably eastern United States, circa 1840

Estimate
4,000 - 6,000 USD
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Description

  • BUSK WITH SHIP AND ANGEL
  • Ink on whale skeletal bone
  • 12 5/8 by 1 11/16 by 1/16 in.
  • C. 1840
Inscribed recto, ink: Remember Me / When Far Away / UNITY / LOVE

Provenance

Kristina Barbara Johnson, Princeton, New Jersey
Sotheby Parke-Bernet, "The Barbara Johnson Whaling Collection, Part I," December 11-12, 1981, lot 445

Exhibited

"Hunt for the Whale," American Folk Art Museum, 1968
"Seascape in the American Imagination," Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 1975
"Cross Currents: Faces, Figureheads, and Scrimshaw Fancies," American Folk Art Museum, 1984
"Folk Art Revealed," New York, American Folk Art Museum, November 16, 2004-August 23, 2009
"Compass: Folk Art in Four Directions," New York, The South Street Seaport Museum, June 20-October 7, 2012

Literature

Whipple, A.B.C., et al., The Whalers, Alexandria, Va.: Time-Life Books, 1979, p. 129
American Radiance: The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum, p. 328, fig. 290

Condition

Slight warp.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.