This piece has kind of a sad history. Originally a flaw in the ivory suggested a seahorse shape—the real animal, I mean, not the fantasy merhorse kind. Because of working around the ivory, the seahorse looked very pregnant indeed. The technique on it was particularly fine.

lampblack ink on fossil walrus ivory, perhaps 25–30mm high; sterling finding

However, much as I liked the piece and nicely done as it was, it didn't sell and didn't sell and didn't sell; so I sanded the seahorse off and did this run-of-the-mill dragon. I didn't even bother to sign or date it.

But it sold the very next week—not surprising, since it was being market at Renfez.

That of course sounds like a happy story, right? And initially I was indeed very pleased to have it off my hands. Well, after it sold, the wizard told me he really liked the seahorse. He doesn't, as a rule, care for much of my art; I was heartbroken that I'd destroyed one of the rare pieces he'd actually liked. Why, I asked him, didn't he tell me?

This image is a scan from an old 3x5 photo, which is why it looks so bad. —I did a lot of cool scrimshaw, but my records of it are poor:)

Such are lost regrets. I still feel badly about it, over a decade later.

I made him promise to tell me, next time I made something he liked. He said he would. Now he has a dresser drawer full of ugly, broken glass dragons, which even if they were decent, he wouldn't be easily able to display. Oh, well. On the other hand, flipping through my photo album of old scrimmed pieces was a pleasant trip down memory lane—I really did do some kinda cool stuff, back in the day.

photo 20080818; file created 19dec09. scan, intro 11jan10.

Unless otherwise noted, text, image and objects depicted therein copyright 1996--present sylvus tarn.