Gwa'sala Kwakwaka'wakw. Grave Marker in the Form of a Copper, late 19th century. Wood, pigment, 50 x 20 in. (127 x 50.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1908, Museum Collection Fund, 08.491.8895. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 08.491.8895.jpg)
Gwa'sala Kwakwaka'wakw. Grave Marker in the Form of a Copper, late 19th century. Wood, pigment, 50 x 20 in. (127 x 50.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1908, Museum Collection Fund, 08.491.8895. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 08.491.8895_acetate_bw.jpg)
Grave Marker in the Form of a Copper
Arts of the Americas
CULTURE
Gwa'sala Kwakwaka'wakw
MEDIUM
Wood, pigment
DATES
late 19th century
DIMENSIONS
50 x 20 in. (127 x 50.8 cm) (show scale)
COLLECTIONS
Arts of the Americas
ACCESSION NUMBER
08.491.8895
CREDIT LINE
Museum Expedition 1908, Museum Collection Fund
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Polychrome wood "copper". Ceremonial shields called “coppers" were highly-prized emblems of wealth among the Northwest Coast peoples, and were both traded and displayed during potlatches, ceremonial gatherings. The wooden grave marker in a copper form is a reference to the affluence and importance of the individual. One half of its top section is missing. On the remaining section one half of a bird's face is visible. On the lower portion, divided by a central vertical line, bird wings are visible.
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Gwa'sala Kwakwaka'wakw. Grave Marker in the Form of a Copper, late 19th century. Wood, pigment, 50 x 20 in. (127 x 50.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1908, Museum Collection Fund, 08.491.8895. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 08.491.8895.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 08.491.8895.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply.
Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply).
For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch.
For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright.
If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
RECORD COMPLETENESS
Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.
