Sea chest-form Work Box

Date1800s

Mediumwood, whale skeletal bone, whale ivory, metal

Dimensions[H]4 3/4" __[W]8 3/4" __[D]4 3/4" (incl. hinge)

Donor credit lineKendall Whaling Museum Collection Transfer

Object number2001.100.1170

Institutional Credit LineCourtesy of the New Bedford Whaling Museum

DescriptionMiniature chest wth hinged lid, mahogany sides with dovetail joints, unidentified wooden top and bottom; the lid edged on front and sides with whale skeletal bone, the back edged with baleen; the top trimmed with strips of rosewood and elongated diamond shapes of whale ivory, and has a central escutcheon of whale skeletal bone with swing handle (pendant drawer-pull type) with through-drilled wooden dowel, the whale ivory mounts threaded and fastened inside with square ivory nuts, the outsides lathe-turned with red sealing wax; the front face inlaid with two whale skeletal bone tetrakeles and a diamond escutcheon of whale ivory, the sides with two five-pointed stars of whale ivory; the bottom trimmed on three sides with a molding of whale skeletal bone, on the back with baleen. Stands on four discs of skeletal bone. Commercially produced steel lock mechanism, key absent; brass hinges with machine-made slotted screws; miscellaneous nail and tack fastenings.ProvenanceWilliam Kranzler, New Bedford 01/08/1964 $165.00

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