A Rare Pair of Scrimshaw Cow Horns with Imagery of Knights, Maidens and Maori Tribesmen
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A Rare Pair of Scrimshaw Cow Horns with Imagery of Knights, Maidens and Maori Tribesmen. On Stands with Green Marble Bases Likely New Zealand 1840-60, Length of horns: 17.5″, Height on stands: 19″
The scrimshaw technique was adopted by especially whalers during the 18th century using bones of harvested whales for intricate designs. This pair of scrimshaw horns offer rich decoration depicting knights, maidens and a group of Maori tribesmen brought together with intricate arabesques of floral and leaf work. The Maoris are the indigenous people of New Zealand known also for their use of tattoos, a detail which can be noticed on one of the horns.