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Spoon

Datec. 1900
DimensionsOverall: 6 1/2 × 2 1/2 × 2 in. (16.5 × 6.4 × 5.1 cm)
Object numberT0782
Credit LineGift of Eugene Victor Thaw Art Foundation
Photograph by John Bigelow Taylor, NYC
Label TextYurok, Hupa, and Karuk men used elegantly carved elk antler spoons to eat acorn soup at ceremonies and other important events. They made the spoons by cutting flat sections of antler and steaming them to make them flexible. Next, they cut out the spoon’s form and allowed them to harden. Finally, they fashioned abstract designs on the handle and smoothed the surface to an even finish.
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.
ProvenanceJonathan Holstein (A-125), Cazenovia, New York
Bibliography"Tenth Anniversary of the Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection of American Indian Art, 1995-2005" in Heritage magazine, 2005, vol 20. pg. 37.

Fognell, Eva. “Art of the American Indians: The Thaw Collection.” Cooperstown, NY: Fenimore Art Museum, 2010, p. 116.

Murdock, Michelle, ed. 50 at 20: Masterpieces of American Indian Art from the Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, NY: Fenimore Art Museum, 2015, p. 25.

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. 278.
On View
Not on view
Spoon
Yurok
c. 1900
Spoon
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5798 STATE HIGHWAY 80
COOPERSTOWN NY, 13326
607-547-1400

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