Fish Lure

Mediumfossilized walrus ivory, baleen

Dimensions5/8 × 1/2 × 5 1/2 in. (1.6 × 1.3 × 14 cm)

Object number00.200.19

Institutional Credit LineCourtesy of the New Bedford Whaling Museum

DescriptionFossilized walrus ivory carved, drilled, and inlaid as a fish lure in the form of a fish, maximizing use of the natural color (tundra staining) and contours of the ivory. Inlaid eyes of walrus ivory with baleen pupils; the body drilled in 12 places for dot markings (comprised of baleen dowels, most missing), and pierced amidships (to accommodate pectoral fins, now absent?) and at the stern to accommodate the fishing line.

On View

Not on view