Antique Sailor’s Folk Art Scrimshaw Bone Busk, circa 1840s

Antique Sailor’s Folk Art Scrimshaw Busk, circa 1840s, an American whaleman’s folk art engraved and polychromed whale bone corset stay with elaborate decoration on both sides: on the obverse a blooming red rose above a palm tree, alongside a whaling scene with three whale boats lowered and around a sperm whale in a flurry, another whale showing flukes, flanked by a Bark sailing on starboard near tropical island, and a bow view of another square-rigger, inscribed “MILTON, N.B.”; the reverse has an unusual mystical image of a polychromed rising sun/eye, above an eagle clutching a long trailing olive branch with a prayer book at end and encircling a red heart with crossed arrows, above the polychromed legend “When Living Respected, Whe(n) Dead Lamented,” above a mourning scene with female figure at crypt with red sunburst and weeping willow tree, over the inscription “M.R.H.”, above potted red rose bush on plinth inscribed “S”, above a polychromed star.

Signed antique scrimshaw is quite scarce, so inscriptions are always of great interest. While no scrimshaw artist bearing the surname “Milton” has yet been identified, there was a Whaling Bark MILTON which went on a voyage sperm whaling in the Atlantic in 1844 to 1845, but it sailed out of Edgartown rather than New Bedford. The second vessel could not be identified by rig (since seen from the bow), so it could of course be ship-rigged, and thus be the Whaling Ship MILTON which sailed out of New Bedford on 15 whaling voyages from 1832 to 1889.

This is an excellent and elaborately decorated busk, strongly etched in black and red, and remains in excellent condition with artwork strong and legible.

This piece of antique sailor’s folk art is engraved on a piece of bone from a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), is well over 100 years old, and is in full compliance with federal law as specified in the Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972), Endangered Species Act (1973), and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Director’s Order No. 210 (as amended 2014).

Measures: 12-1/4 in L x 1-1/4 in W