Frank Sherman Benson Fund and the Henry L. Batterman Fund

Frank Sherman Benson Fund and the Henry L. Batterman Fund

Gift of Bodil Christensen

Brooklyn Museum Collection

Three-dimensional female figurine with a tapestry weave face, gauze shawl, patterned woven tunic and long black hair. The face has abstract patterning in red, yellow, blue and pink around the features suggesting face painting. The arms and legs are constructed of reeds wrapped in pink alpaca that end in articulated fingers and toes. Condition: good.

By exchange

The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection.

The Mohawk and other members of the Iroquois Confederacy were expert sailors who used the inland waterways of the Great Lakes region as their highways. This model canoe recalls that expertise and provides an example of their woodworking artistry. The canoe is carved from a single piece of wood, with separate pieces for the cross-members. The two figures are also carved separately and sit in the canoe on pegs. Canoe models such as this could have been made for a child or specifically to be sold to settlers or visitors as an example of Mohawk culture.

Museum Purchase: Helen Thurston Ayer Fund.