Mermaid

Little is known about Philip Johnson except that he was a member of a seafaring family whose descendants lived in Methuen at the time the MFA acquired this piece in 1960. According to family lore, Johnson carved and painted this mermaid while serving as first mate on a voyage from Salem, Massachusetts to the South Seas in the early 19^th century. It was common for sailors during their downtime to create art with materials at their disposal, including wood and whale bone. Johnson delicately crafted his mermaid using wood and real hair, and paint to create scales, a mouth, nose, large eyes, and even a belly button. Her position suggests that she is swimming freely through water.