A whale's tooth engraved with a view of Reculver Church, Kent.

Whale's tooth engraved with a view of Reculver Church, Kent. © National Maritime Museum, London

Description: A large sperm whale’s tooth engraved on both sides. One side shows Reculver Church on the north Kent coast, half ruined with the towers in use as a sea-mark. This dates the piece to after 1810. The figures of two sailors can be seen - one in the background with a telescope and one in the foreground carrying a fishing rod. In the distance is a small sailing craft. On the other side of the tooth is a farmyard scene, with a dog and a cow in the foreground and a half-timbered farmhouse with a paling fence and trees (possibly an orchard).

Date: 19th century

Credit line: National Maritime Museum