Scrimshaw is scrollwork, engravings, and carvings done in bone or ivory. Typically it refers to the artwork created by whalers, engraved on the byproducts of whales, such as bones or cartilage. It is
American whaling ships, scrimshaw on whale tooth, c. 1800
Carved whale bone whistle dated 1821, 8 centimetres (3.1 in) long; belonged to a 'Peeler' in the Metropolitan Police in London
Pair of walrus tusks depicting a sailor and a woman. Rhode Island or Connecticut, circa 1900
Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks and teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentin, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of
Scrimshaw
…useful tools such as the jagging wheel. which is a multi-purpose tool used to pierce and trim a pie crust. Corset busks were carved from bone or ivory. Ivory is a fragile medium; many 19th-century pieces were preserved because they were kept in a barrel of oil on board ship. Gary Kiracofe, a scrimshander in…
11th-century Italian carved elephant tusk, Louvre.
Cylindrical ivory casket, Siculo-Arabic, Hunt Museum.
A depiction of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus crafted in elephant ivory
An ivory tabernacle featuring the Madonna of Caress, France