c. 1800 Very Fine Ink and Watercolor on Laid of Blue Whale and Narwahl 1940s snapshot cast using the lost-wax method

cast using the lost-wax method

I have since found others similar (including in museum collections) and know that it likely came from Guererro in Mexico

There is a strong Inuit tradition of carving human and owl faces from whale vertebrae

each a little different

c. 1800 Very Fine Ink and Watercolor on Laid of Blue Whale and Narwahl 1940s snapshot cast using the lost-wax methodThis is not a hand colored engraving, it is an original, beautifully executed ink and watercolor drawing on watermarked laidone of a number I purchased from a German seller, all done by the same person I believe, c. 1800 or just a bit earlier. Photos do no justice, but the rich color and exquisite execution makes these miraculous creatures including the completely miraculous Narwahl! feel all the more so. I would guess it was the original drawing