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All the existing rattle-dishes offer an intriguing reflection of the raven rattles themselves (c.f. fig. XX [T174]). In the dish profile, the gentle upward arc of the raven's head and beak suggest the fluid curves found on many rattles. In this form, the belly of the rattle is flattened off and becomes the base of the dish. The deep undercut beneath the feathers of the tail-face on many rattles is echoed in kind on the rear of this carving, though the beak of this face points up rather than forward. The reclining human figure found on the backs of most raven rattles is adapted here in such a way that the body of the human appears from above to be the conceptual bowl of the vessel. The head of the figure has been sculpted as a human face with bear's ears, a common shamanic image, as is the human and bird or frog often seen sharing tongues on the backs of the rattles. The human's arms, which on the rattles clasp the figure's own drawn-up knees, here wrap around the rim of the circular opening. Unique to this version of the composition, the real body and legs of the reclining figure are carved in subtle relief on the front of the vessel. The carving of the eyesockets and other planes of the faces suggest Haida origins, very possibly from the Kaigani branch of the northern Haida, living in the area of southern Prince of Wales, Dall, and Long Islands, Southeast Alaska. (From the Catalog of the Thaw Collection of American Indian Art, 2nd ed.)
ProvenanceGeorge Terasaki, New York City
BibliographyMaurer, Evan M. The Native American Heritage: A Survey of North American Indian Art. Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1977, p. 290, fig. 441.
Vincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.352.
Fognell, Eva and Alexander Brier Marr, eds. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection at the Fenimore Art Museum, 2nd ed. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2016, p. 377.
Culture
Haida
Bowl
Datec. 1870
MediumAlder
DimensionsOverall: 3 3/8 × 5 1/4 × 8 1/2 in. (8.6 × 13.3 × 21.6 cm)
Object numberT0180
Credit LineLoan from the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust
Photograph by John Bigelow Taylor, NYC
Label TextWe will never know the specific motivation of the first artist who conceived of combining the traditional images of a Northwest Coast raven rattle with the sculpture of a grease dish, but the idea has been reinterpreted in many imaginative ways since the initial blending of the two archetypes. A number of 19th-century northern artists have produced examples of this form, and these display a wide range of styles and responses to the challenge of this composition. (c.f. Sturtevant, 1974, fig.26, cat. no.178,961; Alaska State Museum (II-B-1845), Juneau) Some are large and feature elaborate surface decoration while others, like this one, are relatively small and compact, and accent the sculptural form.All the existing rattle-dishes offer an intriguing reflection of the raven rattles themselves (c.f. fig. XX [T174]). In the dish profile, the gentle upward arc of the raven's head and beak suggest the fluid curves found on many rattles. In this form, the belly of the rattle is flattened off and becomes the base of the dish. The deep undercut beneath the feathers of the tail-face on many rattles is echoed in kind on the rear of this carving, though the beak of this face points up rather than forward. The reclining human figure found on the backs of most raven rattles is adapted here in such a way that the body of the human appears from above to be the conceptual bowl of the vessel. The head of the figure has been sculpted as a human face with bear's ears, a common shamanic image, as is the human and bird or frog often seen sharing tongues on the backs of the rattles. The human's arms, which on the rattles clasp the figure's own drawn-up knees, here wrap around the rim of the circular opening. Unique to this version of the composition, the real body and legs of the reclining figure are carved in subtle relief on the front of the vessel. The carving of the eyesockets and other planes of the faces suggest Haida origins, very possibly from the Kaigani branch of the northern Haida, living in the area of southern Prince of Wales, Dall, and Long Islands, Southeast Alaska. (From the Catalog of the Thaw Collection of American Indian Art, 2nd ed.)
ProvenanceGeorge Terasaki, New York City
BibliographyMaurer, Evan M. The Native American Heritage: A Survey of North American Indian Art. Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1977, p. 290, fig. 441.
Vincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.352.
Fognell, Eva and Alexander Brier Marr, eds. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection at the Fenimore Art Museum, 2nd ed. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2016, p. 377.
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