Item Records

This page shows all the information we have about this item. Both the institution that physically holds this item, and RRN members have contributed the knowledge on this page. You’re looking at the item record provided by the holding institution. If you scroll further down the page, you’ll see the information from RRN members, and can share your own knowledge too.

The RRN processes the information it receives from each institution to make it more readable and easier to search. If you’re doing in-depth research on this item, be sure to take a look at the Data Source tab to see the information exactly as it was provided by the institution.

These records are easy to share because each has a unique web address. You can copy and paste the location from your browser’s address bar into an email, word document, or chat message to share this item with others.

  • Data
  • Data Source

This information was automatically generated from data provided by MOA: University of British Columbia. It has been standardized to aid in finding and grouping information within the RRN. Accuracy and meaning should be verified from the Data Source tab.

Description

Sheep horn ladle with designs carved in low-relief from back of bowl up the back of the handle. At the base of the handle a small human face gazes outward.

History Of Use

The labour required to boil, shape, carve, and embellish the tough and twisted horn of a mountain sheep indicates something of the significance that a large ladle of this kind would have held to the people who made and used it. The artist was creating a scoop to serve oils or other foods at a feast, but chose this resilient material and refined the ladle’s form and imagery so that it would also speak to matters beyond its immediate function. Translucent in its finished form, the ladle embodies the transformation of the resources of the land – the spirit and life of the mountain sheep, the knowledge and prowess of the hunter to obtain it – into an expression of history, connection, and cultural wealth.

Narrative

Purchased by the donor through a Christie's auction in 1996. According to their information, the piece was previously in the James & Marilyn Bergstrom Collection of Northwest Coast Art. The entire back of the ladle is carved in low relief - from the base of the handle a small human face gazes outward. In its journey through private collections and American auction houses a century after it was made, this ladle caught the attention of Haida artist Bill Reid who, in 1975, contemplated that face in a discussion about art and aesthetics with art historian Bill Holm. “I think it emphasizes the courage which all the good artists demonstrated,” Reid reflected; “For eyebrows he drew two parallel lines with a vertical line down the middle – and just left it at that. Looking at it now, that seems to be the only thing he could have done. He knew when to quit.”

Item History

With an account, you can ask other users a question about this item. Request an Account

With an account, you can submit information about this item and have it visible to all users and institutions on the RRN. Request an Account

Similar Items