“Giant Octopus Attack!” black and white scrimshaw on ancient mammoth ivory tusk by David Adams. Crewmen surprised by attack scurry to safety, if possible. This is worse than the Kraken threat as the giant can attack with eight deadly arms, completely crushing the ship. Something different for collectors. Very thick piece of mammoth ivory completes the picture.
“Giant Octopus Victory!” black and white scrimshaw on ancient mammoth tusk ivory slab by David Adams. Crewmen have abandoned the doomed ship. The giant octopus has begun to crush the unfortunate vessel. Tales will be told if the crew are fortunate enough to encounter another vessel. Excellent work by Adams. Quite different from the usual format of scrimshaw. Rare flat slab of mammoth ivory perfect for this composition.
“Clipper all Alone” black and white scrimshaw on ancient mammoth tusk ivory bark by David Adams. Vastness of the open ocean portrayed here by Adams. The mammoth ivory has stunning color, the result of minerals that have been absorbed into the tusk over thousands and thousands of years.
“Ship in Heavy Seas” black and white scrimshaw on ancient mammoth tusk ivory bark by David Adams. Furled sails in heavy weather depicted by Adams. Excellent detail. Look closely and you can see two crewmen in working on deck in the prow of the vessel. Note the detail on the ship’s prow as well. Excellent work by Adams who usually does not do nautical scenes. A keeper.
“Broken Line!” black and white scrimshaw on ancient mammoth tusk ivory bark by David Adams. Furled sails as storm approaches, except for one broken line. Someone has to scale the mast and attempt to secure the line. Really admire the way Adams has added this element of danger to the piece, not the usual sailing clipper. Sign of a well versed scrimshander.
“Ships Crossing Paths” black and white scrimshaw on ancient mammoth tusk ivory by David Adams..One going east, the other, west. Often they would trade information of home, known as a “gam”. This was long before electronic communications became commonplace. Very nice thick piece of primo mammoth ivory here and scrimshander, Adams, has done an excellent job. Adams does not create many nautical works, but this shows he ranks right up there with the very best. Bargain price for such work by Adams.
“Shadow Sails” black and white scrimshaw on ancient mammoth ivory bark by David Adams. Mystery ship approaches the viewer. Looks scary as Adams has not captured the entire ship. Perhaps it is a pirate vessel. One does not know about this vessel, just as the artist intended. Nice work at a great price, by the way.
“Dramatic Nantucket Sleigh Ride” black and white scrimshaw on ancient mammoth tusk ivory bark by David Adams. One can feel the tense moment of both fear and excitement as the whale boat is dragged along in very heavy seas. Hard to say how it ends, but the whalers seem to have the upper hand at the moment. Cannot say enough about Adams’ composition on this one. Great work here.
“The One That Got Away” black and white scrimshaw on ancient mammoth tusk ivory bark by David Adams. So close, yet so far away. Harpooner just missed this one as the whaleboat rides a heavy wave. Sometimes it does not go your way. He appears extremely upset as he usually does not fail. Dramatic work by Adams and excellent composition as well. Very thick piece of mammoth bark by the way.
“Attractive Woman Smoking” black and white scrimshaw on antique pre-ban ivory match holder by David Adams. This rare antique match holder was probably made in England 1850.00…1870.00. This is the only one we have ever seen, although there must be others around. Since very few “nice” women of that era smoked, we asked the artist to create an image of the owner of a house of ill repute, smoking. Look closely and see the match holder in her hand. Nice touch. The back has a carving and both front and back sides are encased in brass fittings. The interior is completely intact. The lucky owner of this will receive, not only a first rate portrait, but, also, an irreplaceable antique. Two for one.
Notice:
This scrimshaw is done on pre-ban African ivory. Since the passage of the CITIES Treaty in 1973, there has been no African ivory brought into the U.S. However, ivory that was in the U.S. prior to 1973 can be legally sold and shipped within the U.S. However, new legislation taking effect in 2016 restricts pre-ban African Ivory from being shipped interstate. It can only legally be shipped intrastate, (within the state). All of our pre-ban ivory is located with our associate in the state of Florida. It can be purchased directly from our website and shipped only to an address within the state of Florida. If one has a relative, trusted friend or business associate within the state of Florida, we can ship to that specified address in order to comply with the new Federal legislation. The scrimshaw can then be forwarded to you and everyone complies with the law. Any questions, email or call us.