Featured Scrimshaw

Hello there,
it as been a while since I posted.
We moved to a new location and bringing all the stuff from different ware houses into one kept me buissy...and still is.
Anyway, here is my latest entry; a scrimshaw whale bone plate measuring 16.2 / 12.8 cm and signed by William L. Roderick.
I didn't noticed the signature untill I was handling it at home and probably nobody else saw it (or knew it!) at the auctionhouse where I got it. Because I got it at the price of a normal avarage scrimshaw plate.
Doing some research I stumbled on srcimshaw made by William L. Roderick at very high prices. So my question is; is it real!?
I don't know much about bones or ivory, but I do know about plastics, and thise one sounds and feels like bone (no plastic( didn't do the hotneedle test yet!)).
Detail pic's were made with a magnifyer.
Intresting (to me !) detail is the flag at the top of the mast that got carved but not colorized ...for some reason....
Intrested to hear your opinions.
cheers
|<ris

 

The pictures are a bit blurred and lack conrtast, could you try again in better light and possibly a better camera?

Also, when posting the pictures, click the 'full image' choice by the word 'thumbnail'

 

The pictures are realy the best I can do...I know my camera is bad and the weather too (over here!)
Allready enchanced them on the PC before posting.
The details are made with a magnifyer and shots took from the screen, not able to load them up from the magnifyer to the PC.
I'll try to make other pic's with my wife's phone when she gets home.
Here is a composition I made in order to check the signature with one i found on the net.

 

Thank you AF!

 

I’ve found that this works best for me as photos always load quickly and so I wrote this up to help all.

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Make your photos 480x640.

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After your comments are complete drop down a line.

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Put a squiggle > ~

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Drop down a line.

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Load all your photos, 10 max.

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At the top of your photo pile there's an option to enlarge them all. (Full Image)

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Enlarge them.

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Thank you!

Note> If you go back and edit you must always click your cursor under the last squiggle or your comments will be split up by the photos.

 

It looks real to me, from what I can see in your photo's.

But that's just my opinion, so please wait for others to chime in with their expert views before considering that I've said anything at all.

 

Thank you, I will. ;-)

 

Any decent auction house couldn't have, shouldn't have, wouldn't have missed that signature if it's who it's purported to be and in as obvious a place as it is!!!! But, possible they might not have known him. Personally, I would (and have done so with two teeth I own!) send to a whaling museum, CLEAR, CRISP UN-ENHANCED photos (digital or otherwise.... depending what THEY want) without mucking them up with TOPAZ or Photoshop (other than to sharpen them a wee bit.....they want to see what's ACTUALLY there if you're not bringing the item in!!).....I believe I sent my photos digitally to the Kendall Museum in Sharon MA and they were very nice and replied with a wonderful letter!!! (One was deemed a fake [and why] and the other was deemed real with approximate value......MOST helpful!!! Both of mine were unsigned I might add. You might try more than one source though too!!! Good luck!!!! I certainly hope it's authentic for you!!!

Edit: That's not a criticism on Topaz....I play with it on occasion too....but it looked like it added un-necessary shine and a 3-D effect that I don't think should be there with scrimshaw.....JMHO.....

 

I agree with aquatine. I don't thinks it's real. If you got this at an auction there would be know way the auctioneer could have misses that name. Plus its clear as day on the front. Also whoever brung this in would of said something to the auctioneer about it. Second the ageing of it doesn't have a real old look to it. Spots where it should have age doesn't have it. Looks more white and still has a newer gloss look to it

 

I honestly don't know if it's real or not.....my main comments about the pictures referred to what I think the photo enhancement program TOPAZ may have done to the pictures OP posted...........as TOPAZ is showing in pics #32, 33 and 34.....that's all......On the same token I was FLOORED that one of the appraisers from SKINNERS called some pan bone scrimshawed lamps that we have "not real"......THEY did NOT get the house contents to sell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

PLEASE DO NOT USE A HOT NEEDLE ON ANYTHING! I wish the person who started that would never have done so. You don't need to destroy an object to find the true nature. Good grief. Just don't do it. If you haven't handled enough of these type of things to be able to tell, find a reputable antique dealer in your area. The key word there is "reputable." No dealer of any note will need to ruin something.

I've visited the Whaling Museum in Nantucket many times as well as the extensive scrimshaw collection at the Provincetown Museum and your piece just doesn't look up to par.

I believe yours is a modern copy of this piece from the New Bedford Whaling Museum which is verified as done by William Roderick. As you can see,
the colors are different and yours doesn't have the detail that his does.

 

"PLEASE DO NOT USE A HOT NEEDLE ON ANYTHING! "
Also my feeling and the reason I didn't! But gave up fighting "general opinion".
I am a profesional restorer and know about plastics, and I can tell it ain't plastic.
My picture showing two signatures, to compare, is build up with a part of the image you are showing.
I do agree my photo skill is zero, and having it in hand and comparing to the one from the New Bedford Whaling Museum I do see resemblance (it could be of course the wishfull thinking spasm!).
Do not feel any anger in my message (English is'nt my mother tongue and I might express my self badly!!). But when you say "yours doesn't have the detail that his does" at wich details are you refearing to please?
For me the whale's head look's very similar to the one on the museum piece, only pointing in the other direction. Same thing with the whale's tail...
There is a figure wearing a red jacket only that looks paler then the red in the union jack on the other plate.
And there is one detail that troubles me; on my plaque the flag with a single star is carved but not coloured, why would that be?
And then regarding the knowledge of some auction houses, I can tell you that every one makes mistakes for one, and second it takes two to tango; if there is no higher bid against you...you have done well! I am like 40 years into antiques and buy great part of my junk in auction houses, and there is always a profit to be made. I am located in Belgium and there is (for example!)no aucion house specialized in militaria ..... Imagine the deals I had only in militaria. But it also happened in statues, toys, paintings and so on...
I also didn't get thise plate for nothing, I payed a little less then what a average plate would go. I collect maritime stuff , stumbled on it at the regular weekly auction house and that is it.

 

We visit Kortrijk nearly every year. We have very good friends there. Where in Belgium are you?

 

Kapellen, north of Antwerp, near the Dutch border.
Kortrijk is like one hour drive from us.

 

Regarding details - The waves are different. Although your whale is the same basic shape, it's not all filled in. The figures in the boats are somewhat different. The ship shows the most differences. Men who spent most of their lives on ships had a particular way of drawing them because they knew all the sails and the rigging firsthand. Compare the two and you'll see that your artist made the sails all look alike and they aren't half as detailed as the ones in the William Roderick. I don't know if you have any maritime museums near you that hold collections of scrimshaw, but you'd have to see a lot of it to really see what I'm saying.

 

We started going over 30 years ago with a youth basketball team and they come here on the opposite years. Now we go over just to visit and we have Belgian guests every year. Most Americans want to retire to Florida. We want to retire to Kortrijk. We love it there. We haven't made our travel plans this year because we've had to go to other things so we may not end up having any travel money in our budget until next year.

 

Antwerp (my place of birth) is very famous for it's maritime history. So we do have a very fine maritime museum, or should i say had...because all different city museums were brought into one; the "MAS". I prefered it the old way, because they can't show it all at once, now. They do "themes displays " now.
But we do not have a whaling history, so I don't think there is any scrimshaw to be seen in Antwerp.
The nearest place is Hull in the UK and I am working on it to get a appointement there, to have a look and maybe meet a specialist regarding this stuff.
The only scrimshaw I ever saw was mainly the plastic junk, up to now. Because like I said those things are rather rare over here.

 

Kortrijk might be just as good as any other place to retired!
I do like the region as well.
But we are more focused on going to France, if we reaged that time of retirement.
I am in to sports, so can't comment on basketball.

 

Sorry, last sentence should be; i am not into sports!

 

I'm with you on that especially baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-set-ball where they just run back and forth for waaaaaaaaaay too long putting a ball in a hoop some 300 times in a 'game'.