Bowl in the Form of a Beaver

between 1790 and 1800

Ojibwa, Native American

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About the Artwork

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Markings

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Provenance

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Published References

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Catalogue Raisonné

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Credit Line for Reproduction

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About the Artwork

The oblong shape of the bowl corresponds to the general proportions of a young adult beaver lying on its back. Even the short, broad head is carved out and might have functioned as a pouring lip to serve individual guests when this large bowl was used at feasts. The end opposite the head is marked by a realistically carved beaver tail complete with engraved crosshatching that evokes the texture of this part of the animal's body. Signs of wear on the tail suggest that it was utilized as a handle to hold or carry the bowl. These anatomical references are completed by indications of the four legs carved in shallow relief on the exterior sides of the bowl.
This object is a prime example of the sculptural conception of Great Lakes animal effigy bowls in which the carved elements that represent the animal are not merely attached to the bowl as additive decoration but are sculpturally and conceptually integrated with the form of the functional object. This congruence of forms establishes the bowl as the body of the animal and clarifies our perception of the total object as a sculptural metaphor.
Adapted from E.M. Maurer, "Representational and Symbolic Forms in Great Lakes Area Wooden Sculpture." Bulletin of the DIA 62, no. 1 (1986): 7-17, fig. 8.

Title Bowl in the Form of a Beaver

Artwork Date between 1790 and 1800

Artist ----------

Life Dates ----------

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. Native American

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Ojibwa

Medium Wood

Dimensions Overall: 6 1/2 × 25 5/8 × 13 1/4 inches (16.5 × 65.1 × 33.7 cm)

Classification Sculpture

Department Indigenous Americas

Credit City of Detroit Purchase

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 51.9

Markings

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Provenance

Collected by Alexander Harrow (1755-1811), British naval officer on the Great Lakes and pioneer settler on the St. Clair River above Algonac (Michigan, USA);
by 1950, by descent to Washington C. Harrow (Detroit, Michigan, USA);
ca.1951, sold by the family (George J. Heckroth, dealer, Royal Oak, Michigan, USA);
1951-present, purchased 1951 by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance, please visit:

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Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

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Published References

Feder, Norman. Two Hundred Years of North American Indian Art. Exh. cat., Whitney Museum of American Art. New York, 1971, no. 78.

Maurer, E.M. "Representational and Symbolic Forms in Great Lakes Area Wooden Sculpture." Bulletin of the DIA 62, no. 1 (1986): 7-17, fig. 8.

The Spirit Sings: Artistic Traditions of Canada’s First Peoples. Exh. cat., Glenbow Museum. Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 1987, no. W101.

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

probably Ojibwa, Native American, Bowl in the Form of a Beaver, between 1790 and 1800, wood. Detroit Institute of Arts, City of Detroit Purchase, 51.9.