Tlingit, Northwest Coast
Circa 1900
Silver
Circumference 8 inches (20.3 cm), gap 1 5/8 inches (4.1 cm), width 1 1/4 inches (3.2 cm)
40.57 grams
Provenance: Private collection, Seattle, Washington
The cuff is engraved across its full width with two eagles rendered in formline, their heads turned to face one another, each with a large ovoid eye, a downturned beak, and wing and body forms distributed across the surface of the band. The engraver has filled the negative spaces with a fine crosshatched ground, throwing the smooth polished formlines into relief, and the recesses hold a dark patina against the brighter silver. The band is heavy gauge with cleanly finished terminals, and the design carries without interruption from one end to the other.
Tlingit silversmiths adapted the formline system from wood carving and painting to engraved metal in the second half of the nineteenth century, working coins and later sheet silver obtained through trade. The eagle is one of the two principal moiety crests in Tlingit social organization, and a bracelet carrying the crest identifies the wearer as much as it decorates. The depth of the engraving and the control of the crosshatching mark the work of a practiced hand.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Tlingit, Northwest Coast
Circa 1900
Silver
Circumference 8 inches (20.3 cm), gap 1 5/8 inches (4.1 cm), width 1 1/4 inches (3.2 cm)
40.57 grams
Provenance: Private collection, Seattle, Washington
The cuff is engraved across its full width with two eagles rendered in formline, their heads turned to face one another, each with a large ovoid eye, a downturned beak, and wing and body forms distributed across the surface of the band. The engraver has filled the negative spaces with a fine crosshatched ground, throwing the smooth polished formlines into relief, and the recesses hold a dark patina against the brighter silver. The band is heavy gauge with cleanly finished terminals, and the design carries without interruption from one end to the other.
Tlingit silversmiths adapted the formline system from wood carving and painting to engraved metal in the second half of the nineteenth century, working coins and later sheet silver obtained through trade. The eagle is one of the two principal moiety crests in Tlingit social organization, and a bracelet carrying the crest identifies the wearer as much as it decorates. The depth of the engraving and the control of the crosshatching mark the work of a practiced hand.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
