A Whaler's Sea Chest From the Collection of Henry Alexander Murray

 A sailor's sea chest was one of his most important possessions — on a long voyage it held everything he owned, and served as his table, his chair, his bank, and his bureau. Most were plain and utilitarian. The chest now in our webstore is something else entirely: a mid-19th-century decorated six-board sea chest, American, probably New England, that is exceptional in both construction and decoration.

Top of the sea chest lid with painted whaling scene.

The chest is built of white pine with nailed joints and a canted front and back. The single-board top carries tooled molded edges and applied end cleats — structural details added to keep the lid true against warping. The top hangs on snipe hinges, an early forged-iron form made from cotter-pin-like pieces driven through the top and the chest back, their hooked ends interlacing to form the hinge itself.

White pine was used to build this sea chest. Closeup view of one
of the snipe hinges, fastening the top to the chest.

The lid's exterior carries a colorful panoramic painting of a dramatic whaling chase scene, enclosed within a painted rope border that follows the lid's rectangular outline. Lift the lid and the underside is left in natural pine, bearing a painted silhouette of a black sperm whale backed by a crossed whaler's harpoon and oar. 

View of the interior lid with black silhouette painting of a whale
with crossed harpoons.

The chest's exterior is painted olive green. Inside, a ditty box (till) is fastened in the upper right with a single drawer and an open cavity below. 

The interior till (ditty box) with lower drawer.

And in a detail collectors will appreciate: the original leather-wrapped beckets survive, with their painted-wood side cleats, and the original lock remains in place (the key is missing).

Original leather-wrapped rope becket sea chest handle with 
green-painted side cleat.

Dimensions: 39 3/4 inches wide, 18 1/2 inches deep, 17 1/4 inches high.

Painted chests come to market regularly; chests with a period whaling chase scene on the lid, original beckets intact, and an undisturbed ditty box do not. This is a rarity in the survival sense — a decorated whaler's chest where everything that should have survived, did.

PROVENANCE: The chest came from the personal collection of Henry Alexander Murray (1893–1988) — Harvard psychologist, leading authority on Herman Melville, twice president of the Melville Society, whose collection of Melville books, manuscripts, and artifacts was donated to the Berkshire Athenaeum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. A man who spent a career inside Melville's world owned this chest, and that ownership is what moves it into a different tier. We price it at $6,250 — above comparable decorated chests — because the Murray provenance, combined with the piece's physical rarity, puts it in museum-quality territory. There is one, and only ever one, of these.

See the full listing and photographs on our webstore:https://www.skipjackmarinegallery.com/a-mid-19th-century-whalers-personal-sea-chest-with-painted-whaling-chase-scene.html — $6,250, one in stock.

Visit us at 1172 State Route 32, Round Pond, ME 04564. Open year-round, Thu–Sat 11–4, Sun 1–4, Mon 11–4, and by appointment. (207) 219-0897

10 Tips for Designing the Perfect Nautical Room for Your Coastal Home

Here are 10 proven winners for creating your very best nautical inspired room in your coastal home. Any or all of these design ideas will go a long way toward the realization of your space. Give these nautical design ideas a try:

1.  Proper lighting plays a key role in any successful space.  For a nautical inspired space choose table and

Vintage aluminum ships window re-purposed into a
nautical mirror. Aluminum 90 degree passageway
lights light-up the space.

.

floor lamps that are functional, not just decorative. Place them near the task at hand. One of the best ways to create that old seafaring look is to select ship navigational and space light fixtures re-purposed into functional lighting. Rewired nautical wall sconces positioned on either side of a bathroom mirror can be very effective. Old re-purposed ship lanterns make great table lamps, and ship pennant lights, cage lights and passageway lights are top choices to light both your interior and exterior spaces.

2. Repetition of your theme will enforce your ideas.  If you are working with the idea of ‘sailing’ perhaps, select a piece of wall art featuring classic sailboats, a model of a sailboat on your mantel or table and navigational chart lampshades on your table lamps. Go a step further and include striped sailcloth on a piece of upholstered furniture. Of course not every element should be strictly about sailing but a good rule is to repeat an idea three times in any space.

3. Nautical colors, textures and finishes are typically borrowed from ships and yachts. Colors that associate well are described as sailcloth white,  pitch black, port red and starboard green and navy blue.  Wood selections include teak and mahogany, oak and maple. Brass, bronze, copper, aluminum, tin and galvanized metal, chrome and nickel finishes, both polished to a high shine or left verdigris for a weathered patina.  Use hemp and nylon line for edging surfaces- including black and navy blue nylon for a distinct yachting presence. Try navigational charts for a wall covering, especially in small areas like a bathroom or dressing room.

4. Dress up your kitchen and bathroom cabinets and furniture by selecting brass or nickel-plated cleats as

Nautical brass cleats can be used as cabinet
pulls,  door handles  and for tieing off lines.

handles and pulls. It’s the perfect look for both hardwood and painted cabinet finishes. Hand-tied monkey’s fist or turk’s head knobs are perfect choices too!

5. Antique sea chests and select antique furniture fit well into the traditional New England style nautical environment. You may also want to consider custom made furniture using retired teak ship’s grates or hatch covers as tops for tables. These are both beautiful, functional and add a lot of character to the room. We’ve also used old ship’s doors, brass portholes and windows as tops for occasional and coffee tables too.

6. Nautical/marine art for your walls can be more than just a print or a painting, though the perfect marine painting can be the focal point in your room. Framed black and white photographs of classic yachts and giclee prints after original paintings are usually more affordable ways to add in quality marine art.

An antique ships wheel is hung above a mantel with a 19th century cased
model of a schooner in the foreground.

7. For other wall art forms, consider a beautiful ships wheel, ship’s name, quarter and stern boards, old oars, a collection of half hulls of old sailing ships, folk and sailor marine carvings of whales and mermaids and even harpoons, representing  the days of whaling and seafaring days gone by. Victorian age sailor’s valentines were brought back from the island of Barbados as gifts for loved ones. Contemporary examples with great detail can be a great choice as well. Also, consider adding in the sound of the ringing of a ship’s bell clock.

A carved and painted wood mermaid is in stark contrast to the
navy blue wall, a perfect art form for a nautical designed space.

A collection of ship in bottles
are displayed"en masse"

8. Be selective when accessorizing your nautical room. We recommend using sextants or octants, spyglasses, on a bookshelf, boxed compasses, small scale models, wood blocks and smaller sailor-made carvings on table, desk and chest tops. Small collections work best grouped together in a tight assemblage.  You will make a stronger statement when they appear "en masse" as each one accents the other.  Think of a collection of ship-in-bottles, antique scrimshaw, or a grouping of items like vintage blocks from sailboats, compasses and other small maritime items placed together on a bookshelf or tabletop. Larger ship’s instruments like binnacles, telegraphs and ship wheels on stands are well suited to stand alone placed in a corner or as a centerpiece.  

9. Always select quality over quantity. A few authentic vintage or antique nautical items are better than a room-full of reproductions and nautical nick-knacks. A little can go a long way.

10. Don’t be afraid to take a photo of your space and ask for advice.  A qualified dealer can assist you with finding the right items to create the perfect nautical environment for your home or office.

Written by Joe Elder of Skipjack Nautical Wares & Rebecca T Larys Interior Design, IIDA located in Olde Towne Portsmouth, Virginia. You can visit Skipjack Nautical Wares website at www.SkipjackNauticalWares.com.  

Skipjack Nautical Wares 

& Marine Art Gallery

620 High Street, Portsmouth, VA 23704

www.skipjacknauticalwares.com

757-399-5012
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