Spermo Cutting In Whales On Japan, 1822

Identifier: 2008.0031.002
Title: Spermo Cutting In Whales On Japan, 1822
Creator: Fisher, J.
Measurements: 47.6 x 62.8 cm (18 3/4 x 24 3/4 inches)
Materials: oil paint (paint); canvas (textile material)
Technique: painting (image-making)
Date Created: ca. 1823
Location: Nantucket Whaling Museum
Subject: Whaling ships; Whaling; Offshore whaling
Description: A painting of a black whaleship in choppy water red with blood, two whale carcasses floating along the ship’s starboard side. A strip of flesh has been cut from the whale closest to the ship and seems to hang from its rigging. The process of breaking down a whale carcass was referred to as “cutting in.” The whaleship depicted is Spermo of Nantucket.
Inscriptions: Titled in lower center: Spermo Cutting In Whales On Japan, 1822. Signed in lower right: J. Fisher.