19th Century Painted & Carved Whales - Frank Wood

Frank Wood (1851-1933) Early 20th century framed and relief carved wooden plaque of six different species of whales. Each whale is painted and has a whale ivory nameplate below it. The plaque represents the six species of whales that were mostly hunted for their whale oil. Original condition; some damage to some of the tails and the sperm whale has a small lose near the teeth. 14" x 28" Frank Wood was the first curator of the New Bedford Whaling Museum in Massachusetts. He was known to have carved various pieces in relation to the whaling industry and the New Bedford whaling fleet. There are other examples of his work at the museum. He also collected and donated a vast collection of nautical antiques to the museum. Provenance: Mary Stanton Collection, who is a descendant of Captain James E. Stanton of the Bark Martha, 1874.