Pair of Antique Narwhal Tusks ‘Monodon Monoceros’

A Pair of Antique Narwhal Tusks ‘Monodon Monoceros’
The tips with spiralling silver mounts
Smooth silky patina mellow colour and excellent twist
Early 19th Century
Size: 203cm long, 6.5cm dia. – 80 ins long, 2½ ins dia.
203cm long, 7.5cm dia. – 80 ins long, 3 ins dia.
See: Finch and Co catalogue no. 13, item no. 123 for another pair of narwhal tusks
It is no longer believed that ‘tusking’, the rubbing of tusks with other male narwhal, is a ritualised form of battle, but more like the brushing of one’s teeth. It is a way for them to remove the encrustation so that their tusks function more effectively as sensors. On the tusk’s surface there exists millions of tubules that lead down through a maze like coating to inner nerves and pulp that is uniquely sensitive to subtle changes in temperature and air pressure. When the narwhal hold their tusks high into the air they are using them as a form of weather station. This enables them to detect the fatal freezing of open ice channels and the sudden arrival of cold air fronts. Thus the magical narwhal is perfectly equipped for survival in the arctic seas.

Pair of Antique Narwhal Tusks ‘Monodon Monoceros’

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+44 (0)7836 684133

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ENQUIRIES

+44 (0)7768 236921
+44 (0)7836 684133

enquiries@finch-and-co.co.uk