  
  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 &Atilde;&#151; 25 5/8 &Atilde;&#151; 13 1/4 inches (16.5 &Atilde;&#151; 65.1 &Atilde;&#151; 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&acirc;&#128;&#153;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&acirc;&#128;&#148;no longer assigned&acirc;&#128;&#148;that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  51.9
  
  
  Copyright
  Public Domain
  
  
  
