Description
SCARCE ENGLISH BRASS MOUNTED HARPOON LANCE
BY EBENEZER PIERCE
with two bolts and shortened wooden haft, the lock mostly missing, round brass barrel with spare bolt, the bolts with leather padding around the base to form a gas seal (2)
38in. (96cm) long
Note:
As the bolts penetrated the whale a secondary explosive charge in the bolt would drive the iron head (to which the line was attached) deep into the whale. It would appear that the harpoon was manually driven into the whale before initiating the firing
Provenance:
Ex Holland and Holland 1980s.