VINTAGE BRASS, BONE AND WOOD BOTTLE OPENER WITH SCRIMSHAW (?) ARTWORK

Beautiful piece - Unusual two-tone decoration as the grass below the buck and the trees behind the buck are green - Also interesting wooden ends - Whole item measures 13 cm. - No damage.   >>>  Scrimshaw is the name given to scrollwork, engravings, and carvings done in bone or ivory. Originally it referred to the handiwork created by whalers made from the byproducts of harvesting marine mammals.  It takes the form of elaborate engravings in the form of pictures and lettering on the surface of the bone or tusk, with the engraving highlighted using a pigment.  The making of scrimshaw began on whaling ships between 1745 and 1759 on the Pacific Ocean, and survived until the ban on commercial whaling. The practice survives as a hobby and as a trade for commercial artisans. A maker of scrimshaw is known as a scrimshander. The word first appeared in print in the early 19th century, but the etymology is uncertain.               South Africa has produced some stunning pieces done on bone. 

*N.B.*  If you buy more than one item from me you pay only R 6 postage each on the additional items (I actually sell really nice books – see what else I have to offer, it might be worth your while.)