Scrimshaw Gallery - Azore Islands

This tooth is attributed to Frank Barcelos.  More info here.

This tooth is also attributed to Frank Barcelos, with different information here.

Hand-Painted Abraham Lincoln Portrait This tooth is a "letter reply"/Christmas gift, dated 10 December 1966.  The Azorian scrimshander/oil painter Francisco Jose (Frank) Barcelos signed his name several ways during his career.  This is typical of his oil on ivory signature.  Barcelos moved to the U.S. not long after this date, and actually illustrated for Walt Disney at one time.  He died at Falls Church VA in 1993.

This is a typical "tourist-trade" tooth, as was commonly offered in the islands of the Azores.

The above scrimwork is signed DIAS, and is from the Azore Islands. The scene depicted is commonly called “The Flurry”, which is the death throe of an harpooned whale. A flurry consists of a whale rolling (note the coils in the rope), thrashing, and snapping at anything around. A few subtle differences between Yankee whaling and European whaling can be seen in this scrimshawed “snapshot”.   Note the brimmed hats, and the name of the ship (S. IZABEL) on the longboat.  Santo Izabel = Saint Elizabeth. At one time, the name DIAS was well-respected on scrimwork. Now, due to the prolific use of the name DIAS, some collectors believe that it is indicative of “factory” produced scrimwork (right), capitalizing on previous commercial success.  Note the subtle differences in the signatures above and on the right.

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