PAINTINGS OF (a)BELUGA & (b)NARWHAL

c. 1975
Subcollections
Overview

2 paintings in single framed work (a) Beluga- white colored whale with bulbous "melon-shaped" head and no dorsal fin (54) (b) Narwhal - Stocky bodied, grey and white mottled colored whale, with blunt snout and distinctive spiraled tusk protruding from the head (55); gouache on blue card, framed and mounted with inscription .

Historical information

Collection of 106 of paintings by Richard Ellis that were selected by the Smithsonian Institution to form a traveling exhibit of the marine mammals of the world. The collection was purchased by Perth businessman Kevin Parry in 1985 and donated to Whale World, now known as Albany's Historic Whaling Station.

Details

Details

Registration number
cwa-org-128-RE1999.340a,b
Item type
Width
440 mm
Height or length
890 mm
Depth
15 mm
Inscriptions and markings

BELUGA (Delphinapterus leucas)
The beluga is a robust, 18-foot white whale with a rounded, prominent forehead (the melon), and a low ridge on the back in place of a dorsal fin. It is found only in the Arctic, where it is often seen in large groups sometimes numbering tin the hundreds. Called the "sea canary: by the early whalers, the beluga (Russian for "white") is one of the noisiest of all whales, with a repertoire of whistles, squeals, chirps, barks, squawks, whinnies, and claps. Belugas do well in captivity, and are often seen as the stars of underwater oceanarium shows. To date, they have never been successfully bred in captivity. 54.

NARWAHL (Monodon monoceros)
Like the beluga, the narwhal is found only in the Arctic. Unlike the beluga though-and unlike any other animal on earth-the male narwhal has a greatly elongated "tusk"(actually a tooth) protruding from its upper jaw. This tooth, which may reach a length of 8 feet, is believed to be responsible for the myth of the unicorn. When these ivory spirals were brought to western Europe by the early Arctic travelers, it was probably necessary to invent an animal to go along with them, since it seemed so unlikely that the original owner was a little spotted whale. The actual use of the tooth is not known. Eskimos still hunt the narwhal for blubber and for the tusks, and the total narwhal population is believed to be decreasing. 55.

Verso: Smithsonian label checklist # 54 & 55 Packing case # 2, AWHS accession number

Contextual information

The paintings represent a body of work by well-known American marine conservationist, author, artist and natural historian Richard Ellis (1938-2024).

Place made
United States
Year
Primary significance criteria
Artistic or aesthetic significance
Scientific or research significance
Comparative significance criteria
Object’s condition or completeness
Rare or representative
Well provenanced
Last modified
Wednesday, 15 October, 2025
Completeness
100
Permissions

Reproduction or publication with Albany’s Historic Whaling Station permission only.

Albany's Historic Whaling Station

Albany's Historic Whaling Station

2 paintings in single framed work (a)  Beluga-   white colored whale with  bulbous "melon-shaped" head  and no dorsal fin (54) (b) Narwhal -  Stocky bodied, grey and white mottled colored whale, with blunt snout and distinctive spiraled tusk protruding from the head (55);on blue card with inscription

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