King Island (Ugiuvak), Alaska, Inuit
19th century
Walrus ivory
Length 2" (5.1 cm); width 3/4" (1.9 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Maine
Toggle carvings in animal form served as fasteners for hunting lines, garments, and equipment along the Bering Strait coast, the carved figure combining practical function with imagery drawn from the animals central to Inuit subsistence life. The seal was the most important prey animal for King Island hunters, providing food, oil for heating and lighting, and skins for clothing and boat covers, and its depiction on functional objects reflected a broader Inuit practice of maintaining a visual relationship with the animals being hunted. King Island carvers were among the most accomplished producers of small ivory animal figures in the Arctic, their work distinguished by naturalistic precision at miniature scale.
This toggle is carved in the naturalistic form of a resting seal, the body smoothly rendered with defined facial features and a pierced channel for attachment. The ivory has developed a warm amber tone through age and handling consistent with 19th century production. Provenance traces to a private collection in Maine.
This is an ESA antique exempt piece of ivory and cannot be sold internationally, or to anyone residing in the states of California, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Washington. We guarantee that the piece was made prior to 1972.
We ship free within the United States, fully insured, packed by hand.
King Island (Ugiuvak), Alaska, Inuit
19th century
Walrus ivory
Length 2" (5.1 cm); width 3/4" (1.9 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Maine
Toggle carvings in animal form served as fasteners for hunting lines, garments, and equipment along the Bering Strait coast, the carved figure combining practical function with imagery drawn from the animals central to Inuit subsistence life. The seal was the most important prey animal for King Island hunters, providing food, oil for heating and lighting, and skins for clothing and boat covers, and its depiction on functional objects reflected a broader Inuit practice of maintaining a visual relationship with the animals being hunted. King Island carvers were among the most accomplished producers of small ivory animal figures in the Arctic, their work distinguished by naturalistic precision at miniature scale.
This toggle is carved in the naturalistic form of a resting seal, the body smoothly rendered with defined facial features and a pierced channel for attachment. The ivory has developed a warm amber tone through age and handling consistent with 19th century production. Provenance traces to a private collection in Maine.
This is an ESA antique exempt piece of ivory and cannot be sold internationally, or to anyone residing in the states of California, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Washington. We guarantee that the piece was made prior to 1972.
We ship free within the United States, fully insured, packed by hand.
