Koller - Out of This World Tuesday, 28 June 2022, 4pm

1831* ♣ SCRIMSHAW Spermwhale tooth America around 1850 15.6 cm Provenance: Swiss private collection The example presented here is engraved with sailors on a ship and the inscription “Streaming the log”. See also Lot 1832 CHF 1 200 / 3 000 (€ 1 460 / 2 910) 1832* ♣ SCRIMSHAWNEWFOUNDLAND Spermwhale tooth Newfoundland around 1850 11.8 cm Provenance: Swiss private collection Scrimshaw began in the late 18th or early 19th century as the art of carving whale bone and ivory aboard whale ships. The crew on whalers had plenty of leisure time between sighting and chasing whales, and the hard parts of whales were readily available on voyages that could last up to four years. Spermwhales unlike humans – who have four types of teeth (incisors, canines, premolars, and molars), are monophyodonts: they only have one type of tooth. The example presented here is engraved with a sailing ship and the tricolour flag of Newfoundland. See also Lot 1831 CHF 1 500 / 3 000 (€ 1 940 / 2 910) | 32 Out of This World | Natural History, Space Exploration & Entertainment Memorabilia