Alaska, Inuit
Circa 1900
Coiled grass, natural dyes
Height 9 7/8" (25.1 cm); diameter 10 1/2" (26.7 cm)
Provenance: Private California collection; Christie's New York, June 2006, Lot 1683
Coiled basketry with figural polychrome decoration represents a distinct tradition within Inuit material culture, in which animal imagery drawn from the natural world is integrated into the structure of the weave as both decoration and cultural reference. Dogs and birds appear frequently in Inuit decorative arts as animals of practical and symbolic significance, the dog essential to Arctic travel and hunting, and birds marking the seasonal rhythms of the Arctic environment. Baskets of this type made circa 1900 represent the period of most accomplished production in this tradition, before outside market pressures began to simplify both form and decoration.
This basket is worked in tightly coiled grass with figural dogs and birds rendered in polychrome dyed elements distributed across the body of the vessel, the figures clear and well-spaced within the coiled ground. The form is broad and cylindrical with a well-defined base, the coiling even and consistent throughout. Provenance traces to a private California collection and Christie's New York, June 2006, Lot 1683.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Alaska, Inuit
Circa 1900
Coiled grass, natural dyes
Height 9 7/8" (25.1 cm); diameter 10 1/2" (26.7 cm)
Provenance: Private California collection; Christie's New York, June 2006, Lot 1683
Coiled basketry with figural polychrome decoration represents a distinct tradition within Inuit material culture, in which animal imagery drawn from the natural world is integrated into the structure of the weave as both decoration and cultural reference. Dogs and birds appear frequently in Inuit decorative arts as animals of practical and symbolic significance, the dog essential to Arctic travel and hunting, and birds marking the seasonal rhythms of the Arctic environment. Baskets of this type made circa 1900 represent the period of most accomplished production in this tradition, before outside market pressures began to simplify both form and decoration.
This basket is worked in tightly coiled grass with figural dogs and birds rendered in polychrome dyed elements distributed across the body of the vessel, the figures clear and well-spaced within the coiled ground. The form is broad and cylindrical with a well-defined base, the coiling even and consistent throughout. Provenance traces to a private California collection and Christie's New York, June 2006, Lot 1683.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
