Back in the 1750s, many Aberdeen ships would sail to the Arctic and bring whales back to the north-east.
They would then boil down their blubber, creating whale oil which was used for heating.
Here, Hollie Weatherhead, museum assistant with Aberdeen Art Gallery And Museums, tells us more about what essentially became Aberdeen’s first oil industry and the city’s most famous whaler William Penny.
Two-Minute Masterpiece is a series featuring the north-east’s art treasures. Telling the stories of these works – and sharing their love for them – are the people who see them every day, the staff at the galleries or museums where they are held.