Fig. 410.—Ivory image of whale.
Fig. 410 (No. 89326 [1086] from Nuwŭk) is very long and slender—4.3 inches long and only 0.7 inch wide—with the belly perfectly flat, but otherwise a very good representation, neatly carved. The flukes in particular are especially well done, and the flippers are in high relief. The eyes, the spiracles, and the outline of the mouth are incised and the first blackened. The material is a rather poor quality of walrus ivory, about half “core.” The specimen was made for sale. No. 89327 [991] from Nuwŭk was also made for sale. It is a little whale 1.6 inches long, rudely carved in walrus ivory.
Fig. 411 (No. 56619 [66] from Utkiavwĭñ) represents a pair of little whales, each carved from a walrus tooth, which probably served for buttons or toggles of some sort, though I do not recollect ever seeing such objects in use. The belly of each is flat and has in the middle a stout lug perforated with a transverse eye, and they are tied together by a piece of thong about 14 inches long. They are quite well designed and executed, but rather “stumpy” in outline, with the outline of the mouth and the spiracles incised and blackened, and little round bits of tooth inlaid for eyes. In the middle of the back of each was inlaid a small blue glass bead, which still remains in one of them. They are old and dirty and somewhat chipped about the flukes.
Fig. 411.—Pair of little ivory whales.
