King Island (Ugiuvak), Alaska, Inuit
19th century or before
Walrus ivory, fiber
Length 1½" (3.8 cm); width ¼" (0.6 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Maine
Toggles in bird form were used to secure clothing, bags, and harness lines along the Bering Strait coast, the carved figure combining functional purpose with a formal economy that transforms a utilitarian object into a compact sculptural form. King Island, situated in the Bering Sea, was home to Inuit carvers whose ivory work is among the most technically accomplished produced in Alaska, and small toggles of this type demonstrate the same precision of form found in their larger carvings. Bird imagery appears consistently in King Island ivory carving, reflecting the importance of migratory birds to the seasonal diet and ceremonial calendar of the community.
This toggle is carved in the form of a bird head with an elongated tapered beak, a single incised eye, and a suspension loop at the base bound with a dark fiber wrapping. The warm amber patina and dark fiber banding are consistent with age and handling, and the clarity of the bird form achieved through reduction rather than elaboration reflects the King Island carving tradition at its most direct. Provenance traces to a private collection in Maine.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
King Island (Ugiuvak), Alaska, Inuit
19th century or before
Walrus ivory, fiber
Length 1½" (3.8 cm); width ¼" (0.6 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Maine
Toggles in bird form were used to secure clothing, bags, and harness lines along the Bering Strait coast, the carved figure combining functional purpose with a formal economy that transforms a utilitarian object into a compact sculptural form. King Island, situated in the Bering Sea, was home to Inuit carvers whose ivory work is among the most technically accomplished produced in Alaska, and small toggles of this type demonstrate the same precision of form found in their larger carvings. Bird imagery appears consistently in King Island ivory carving, reflecting the importance of migratory birds to the seasonal diet and ceremonial calendar of the community.
This toggle is carved in the form of a bird head with an elongated tapered beak, a single incised eye, and a suspension loop at the base bound with a dark fiber wrapping. The warm amber patina and dark fiber banding are consistent with age and handling, and the clarity of the bird form achieved through reduction rather than elaboration reflects the King Island carving tradition at its most direct. Provenance traces to a private collection in Maine.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
