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Dagger

Datec. 1880
DimensionsOverall: 15 × 1 × 3 in. (38.1 × 2.5 × 7.6 cm)
Object numberT0555
Credit LineGift of Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw
Photograph by John Bigelow Taylor, NYC
Label TextNorthwest Coast artists steamed, boiled, and bent sheep horn to create graceful objects. This dagger’s sheep horn hilt is a three-dimensional representation of a wolf’s head, and was likely made for ritual use or for sale and not for combat, as the blade is made of flexible copper. Thin pieces of copper, a metal associated with wealth, subtly emphasize the mouth, nostrils, eyebrows, and the back of the head. The iridescent abalone shell inlay, a highly valued material traded from California, has a reflective quality ideal for highlighting the creature’s eyes.


Exhibition History"Art Des Indiens D'Amerique Du Nord Dans La Collection D'Eugene Thaw," Mona Bismarck Foundation, Paris, France, Somogy Editions D'Art, January 21, 2000 - March 18, 2000.

"Art of the American Indian: The Thaw Collection," The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, March 2, 2010 - May 30, 2010; Minneapolis Museum of Art, Minneapolis, MN, October 24, 2010 - January 9, 2011; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX, April 24, 2011 - September 23, 2011; Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, IN, December 4, 2011 - February 12, 2012.

"American Indian Art from the Fenimore Art Museum: The Thaw Collection," Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, Utica, NY, October 13, 2018 - December 31, 2018.
ProvenanceRon Nasser, New York City
BibliographyPerriot, Francoise, and Slim Batteux, trans. Arts des Indiens d'Amerique du Nord: Dans la Collection d'Eugene et Clare Thaw. Paris, somogy edition d'Art, 1999, p. 141, fig. 115.

Vincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.373.

Fognell, Eva, ed. Art of the American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, NY: Fenimore Art Museum, 2010, 131.

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. 414.
On View
Not on view
Dagger
Tlingit
c. 1890
Dagger
Tlingit
1800-1850
Dish
Haida
1840-1860
Splint Basket
Mohegan - Pequot
c. 1830
Splint Basket
Schaghticoke
c. 1800
Bowl
Tlingit
1780-1820
Dagger
Tlingit
1790-1810
Ladle
Wishxam or Wasco
1800-1850
Bowl
Haida
1830-1860
Ladle
Tlingit
1870-1890
Bull's Head
Unidentified Artist
17th Century
Spoon
Haida
c. 1870

5798 STATE HIGHWAY 80
COOPERSTOWN NY, 13326
607-547-1400

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