s Decorated whalebone plaque, c.1848-1900 - Hull Museums Collections

Decorated whalebone plaque, c.1848-1900

This plaque shows a Greenland whale being caught by some whalers. This was one of several different types of whale known as the ‘Right Whale’. They were slow, non-aggressive and floated when killed. This made them the ‘right’ whale to hunt.

Following hunting, Greenland whales are still endangered. They can live for 200 years, making them one of the longest living animals on earth. A new threat for this whale is global warming, which threatens its food supply.

This whale jaw bone plaque has a distinct criss-cross framing, with parts filled with red and blue pigment. There are also mermaids with mirrors on each corner.

The main picture is a whaling scene with a Greenland whale rising from the water. It is being attacked by a whaleboat with five men, and another whale in the foreground is also being attacked. In the background is a whaling ship with icebergs.

Whaleboats with five men were used by Tasmanians who hunted whales in the North Pacific after 1848. This would indicate that this plaque is from this kind of whaler.

The Greenland whale is also known as the Bowhead whale. It is one of three species that were known as the ‘Right Whale’ to whalers. The three species include Balaena mysticetus (Greenland Whale, Arctic Right Whale and the smaller Black Right Whale). The second species is Eubalaena glacialis (Northern Atlantic Right Whale, Biscayan Whale or Nordcaper). The third species is Eubalaena australis (Southern Right or Black Whale).

The Greenland, or Bowhead, whale can have a life span of up to 200 years. This makes them among the largest and longest lived animals on Earth. They remain endangered today. A new threat is from their food supplies of amphipods and other tiny creatures being affected by global warming. It is possible that an old Greenland whale today has lived to see both threats to its existence.