Skip to main content
Collections Menu

Flute

Datec. 1875
DimensionsOverall: 3 1/2 × 2 5/8 × 26 1/2 in. (8.9 × 6.7 × 67.3 cm)
Object numberT0706
Credit LineLoan from the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust
Label TextHistorically, flutes were used exclusively for courting. One end of this flute is carved into a black painted bird’s head, possibly a Common Loon or a Sandhill Crane. Both of these birds have a pleasing sound and mate for life. The artist carved the flute-stop in the shape of an abstract horse. Because the horse was regarded as a form of wealth throughout the Plains, here it implies that the player has many horses and the ability to support the woman and their future family.
ProvenanceWilliam H. Jemsen, Minnesota; George Shaw, Aspen, Colorado
BibliographyVincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.143.

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. 144.
On View
On view

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

close

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required