Swing Handled Covered, Rare and Large Whalebone, Whale Ivory and Mahogany Bonnet Box with "Lollipop Carved Fingers.
InformationLarge whalebone, whale ivory and mahogany swing handled covered bonnet box American circa 1845. The box is beautifully crafted with very large finger joints with round “lollipop” ends. Each finger is attached to the body of the box at three places with four rounded head brass nails. The top of the box is made from a single piece of mahogany and the bottom out of two pieces. The mahogany top and bottom are attached to the bone sides of the box with tiny square whalebone pegs. The whalebone swing handle has a gentle taper towards both ends and has rounded whale Ivory button like turned fittings that goes through the handle and the box and is kept in place with whalebone locking pins in the interior. This mounting system for the handle allows it to swing freely from one end to another. (SC1179)
Condition: The box is very well preserved and has an untouched surface. One of the whale ivory handle connecting fittings has a small loss along the right-hand side. The top “lollipop” circular end of the joining finger was probly removed and the end and fastined with a metal pin just like the others as well as a whalebone pin similar to the ones holdind the top and base to the wood bottoms. The top of the basket fits very snugly on top of the box and an adjustment became necessary when it became difficult to remove and put back the top over the "Lollipop" end of the finger joint because it stuck out to far.
Dimensions: Height of basket 8, Height from base to top of handle 13, Diameter 9 ½, Inches
Note: A similar less dramatic sign handled bonnet box is in the collection of the New Bedford Whaling Museum and has the ascension #2001.100.1428. (Dimensions are Height with handle up 12 5/8, Height to top 7 5/8, Diameter 12 7/8). This example has several condition issues.
Provenance:
Meylert Armstong Collection
E Norman Flayderman Collection
Barbara Johnson Whaling Collection
Georgia P. Gosnell Collection Nantucket
Private Collection Nantucket
Publication 1: E. Norman Flayderman “Scrimshaw and Scrimshanders-Whales and Whalemen, 1972 P.228
Exhibited at the Cahoon Museum Scrimshaw Exhibition titled “Scrimshaw the Whaler’s Art” June 29 - October 30, 2022.
Reference 2: This item is illustrated and described on page 203-204 of the book Wandering Whaleman and Their Art: A Collection of Scrimshaw Masterpieces by Alan Granby, Published by Alan Granby 2022.
Circa 1840
