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The antiquity of this chest is revealed by the archaic style of the painted design fields, and the chest probably dates from well before the arrival of Europeans in Southeast Alaska. The arrangement of the formline patterns demonstrates a convention of bent-corner chest designs was apparently established long ago, and conservatively adhered to by the followers of the traditions (T184, a much later, directly-related composition). Here the main black formlines are relatively thin, and it is primarily their angularity, the weight of the secondary red design elements, and the use of certain archaic design structures that denote the age of the container. The extra depth of relief around the double-eye designs of hte central head and the large inner-ovoid shapes in the four corners of the main design field are refined features of chest-carving that were established at an early time and maintained into the late 19th century. In those examples. A large space was domed by relieving back the inner border of the formline, painting and relief-carving the inner-ovoid designs on the domed area, and then carving another relief around each inner ovoid. This feature expands the sculptural sensibility of the surface design, and is well-represented in this early bent-corner chest.
The plank from which the chest was hand-hewn, kerfed, steamed, and bent is of Sitka spruce; a straight-grained, coniferous tree known for its strength-to-weight ratio and ability to flex under steam. In this case it appears that the top and bottom of the chest are also made of spruce, rather than the red cedar more commonly used for these pieces. Older literature on the Northwest Coast once gave the impression that everything was made of red cedar (and certainly this magnificent wood was of central importance), but increasing experience and examination-including scientific analysis-reveals that spruce was very commonly used for a wide variety of objects from large containers to small sculptures such as bowls, combs, and headdress frontlets. (From the Catalog of the Thaw Collection of American Indian Art, 2nd ed.)
Exhibition History"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," The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, May 9, 2017 - October 8, 2017.
"American Indian Art from the Fenimore Art Museum: The Thaw Collection," Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, Utica, NY, October 13, 2018 - December 31, 2018.
"American Indian Art from the Fenimore Art Museum: The Thaw Collection," Mitchell Gallery, St John's College, Annapolis, MD, February 28, 2020 - April 26, 2020.
ProvenanceCollected c. 1950 by an Alaskan bush pilot, Stikine River region; Michael R. Johnson, Bellevue, Washington; Howard Roloff, Victoria, British Columbia; Ian May, Sidney, British Columbia.; Sotheby Parke Bernet New York City 1981, lot 399; Stefan Edlis, Chicago, Illinois
BibliographySotheby's. Sale 4708Y, 23 October 1981, lot 399, Private Collection, Canada.
Vincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.366.
Murdock, Michelle, ed. 50 at 20: Masterpieces of American Indian Art from the Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, NY: Fenimore Art Museum, 2015, p. 26.
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. 408.
Culture
Tlingit or Tsimshian
Bent-Corner Chest with Lid
Date1750-1800
DimensionsOverall: 17 1/2 × 33 1/2 × 19 in. (44.5 × 85.1 × 48.3 cm)
Object numberT0206a-b
Credit LineLoan from the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust
Photograph by John Bigelow Taylor, NYC
Label TextThe Stikine River flows from deep within the British Columbia interior, through the Coast Mountains and empties into the sea near the town of Wrangell, Alaska. It is one of the oldest references in Tlingit oral history. The Stikine (which can be translated as "fast water": Herb Bradley, Tlingit elder, PC 1985) and Nass Rivers were two of the major routes taken by migrating Tlingits from the interior to the coastal area in the post-glacial period. The Stikine Tlingit nations were strong and in control of valuable resources and trade up this fast-flowing marine highway, navigable for over 180 miles upstream. The material culture of the Stikines, which represents their history and tradition, is rich, varied, and magnificent (c.f. Holm 1987, pp.188-207). Ancient and historic village sites were relocated from time to time around the lower river, the shoreline outside its mouth, and the islands in the adjacent area. Now the town of Wrangell is the center of contemporary life. \Stikine heritage endures today in the form of the remaining totem poles, house sites, and ongoing cultural traditions looked after by a dedicated Native community.The antiquity of this chest is revealed by the archaic style of the painted design fields, and the chest probably dates from well before the arrival of Europeans in Southeast Alaska. The arrangement of the formline patterns demonstrates a convention of bent-corner chest designs was apparently established long ago, and conservatively adhered to by the followers of the traditions (T184, a much later, directly-related composition). Here the main black formlines are relatively thin, and it is primarily their angularity, the weight of the secondary red design elements, and the use of certain archaic design structures that denote the age of the container. The extra depth of relief around the double-eye designs of hte central head and the large inner-ovoid shapes in the four corners of the main design field are refined features of chest-carving that were established at an early time and maintained into the late 19th century. In those examples. A large space was domed by relieving back the inner border of the formline, painting and relief-carving the inner-ovoid designs on the domed area, and then carving another relief around each inner ovoid. This feature expands the sculptural sensibility of the surface design, and is well-represented in this early bent-corner chest.
The plank from which the chest was hand-hewn, kerfed, steamed, and bent is of Sitka spruce; a straight-grained, coniferous tree known for its strength-to-weight ratio and ability to flex under steam. In this case it appears that the top and bottom of the chest are also made of spruce, rather than the red cedar more commonly used for these pieces. Older literature on the Northwest Coast once gave the impression that everything was made of red cedar (and certainly this magnificent wood was of central importance), but increasing experience and examination-including scientific analysis-reveals that spruce was very commonly used for a wide variety of objects from large containers to small sculptures such as bowls, combs, and headdress frontlets. (From the Catalog of the Thaw Collection of American Indian Art, 2nd ed.)
Exhibition History"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," The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, May 9, 2017 - October 8, 2017.
"American Indian Art from the Fenimore Art Museum: The Thaw Collection," Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, Utica, NY, October 13, 2018 - December 31, 2018.
"American Indian Art from the Fenimore Art Museum: The Thaw Collection," Mitchell Gallery, St John's College, Annapolis, MD, February 28, 2020 - April 26, 2020.
ProvenanceCollected c. 1950 by an Alaskan bush pilot, Stikine River region; Michael R. Johnson, Bellevue, Washington; Howard Roloff, Victoria, British Columbia; Ian May, Sidney, British Columbia.; Sotheby Parke Bernet New York City 1981, lot 399; Stefan Edlis, Chicago, Illinois
BibliographySotheby's. Sale 4708Y, 23 October 1981, lot 399, Private Collection, Canada.
Vincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.366.
Murdock, Michelle, ed. 50 at 20: Masterpieces of American Indian Art from the Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, NY: Fenimore Art Museum, 2015, p. 26.
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. 408.
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