This dramatic ocean whaling scene was carved by Edward Burdett. Born in 1805 on Nantucket, he went on his first whaling voyage at the age of 17. Burdett developed a unique, intaglio style with deep, gouged out areas and dramatic, bold, dark lines. Burdett was a deck officer when he died a tragic death at the age of 27. A harpoon line 'running out' from the deck caught around his feet and dragged him overboard to drown in the ocean.
Own work
CC BY 3.0
Photograph taken at Nantucket Whaling Museum, Nantucket, Massachusetts.