ANTIQUE SCRIMSHAW PASTRY WHEEL. Elegant sailor-carved scrimshaw pastry wheel constructed entirely from whale ivory. This innovative tool is carved into a bird with the eye holding the wheel. The handle which is the bird's wings, fits perfectly in the hand, indicative of its maker's utilitarian intentions. The piece has a real life appearance and is blanketed by delightful scrimshaw. The thin, delicately wheel was painstakingly carved from a whale's tooth and is in perfect condition. This crimper measures 5 1/2 inches long and is in outstanding condition. A most desirable example. (9) $575.00
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This is a wonderful antique whale's tooth scrimshaw. On one side is an absolutely gorgeous rendering of the "VICTORY FOR THE KEARSAGE", "SINKING OF THE ALABAMA". The detail is intense and the artistry magnificent. Sailors are abandoning ship as the Alabama sinks. Between the cloud darkened sky and the calm sea, the Kearsage stands majestic. Borders and banners compliment the artistry. The other side has crossed flags, the Confederate "Stars and Bars" and the American flag of the day. Again the detail is quite nice and the tooth measures 4 1/2" by 1 3/4".
The design is finished off with a banner that reads "The Warrior's Banner takes its flight Too greet the Warrior's soul !" The Civil War was a boom period for shipbuilding on the Piscataqua. Next to the Merrimack and Monitor submarine attack, no US Civil War sea battle is more famous than the Kearsage sinking the Confederate ship Alabama. Built in Portsmouth, NH at the Navy Yard in 1861, Kearsage was a strange combination of sailing ship and steamboat. The confrontation actually took place off the coast of Europe where the Confederate ship had been stalking Yankee merchant vessels. The Kearsage captain politely allowed Alabama five days to make repairs in a French port before the battle began in July 1884. The Alabama was sunk and the Kearsage boasted no lives lost, though one crewman died of his wounds days later.
The tooth itself is very interesting with its nice patina and natural features. This is a very nice piece. (26) SOLD