Title

Cribbage Board

DateCirca 1913-1914

Mediumwalrus ivory

Dimensions2 3/8 × 1 7/8 × 24 1/4 in. (6 × 4.8 × 61.6 cm)

Object number1980.44

Institutional Credit LineCourtesy of the New Bedford Whaling Museum

DescriptionMedium-sized walrus tusk with flattened top, monochrome engraved both sides. Recto: Polar bear with front paws on the edge of an ice floe stalking a walrus; plain cribbage board with two fish (salmon) being fished with a line, hook, and weight held in the hand of a disembodied right arm; a short branch with two leaves and a blossom at the end. Verso: in a kayak wielding a paddle and an inflated bladder drogue attached to a harpoon that is fast to a walrus; a walrus swimming towards an ice floe. Peg foot. Hollowed end to hold playing pegs; panbone slide-on cap (possibly a replacement for a walrus ivory original).ProvenancePurchased at Nome from Eskimos while on an extensive trip across the US and through Alaska beginning the spring of 1913 by a Mr & Mrs Van de Velde.

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