Inlaid Pipe Bowl with Two Faces
Arts of the Americas
The Jarvis Collection of Native American Plains Art
The articles in this case and the adjacent clothing case are some of the earliest and finest Eastern Plains pieces in existence. They were collected by Dr. Nathan Sturges Jarvis, a military surgeon stationed at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, between 1833 and 1836. He purchased some of the objects, while some may have been given in exchange for his medical services. These works display indigenous people’s ingenuity in combining trade materials such as cloth, metal, and glass beads with traditional hides, red pipestone, and porcupine and bird quills.
MEDIUM
Catlinite (pipestone), lead
DATES
early 19th century
INSCRIPTIONS
"Ornamented War Chief's Pipe (Sisseton Sioux)"
ACCESSION NUMBER
50.67.104
CREDIT LINE
Henry L. Batterman Fund and the Frank Sherman Benson Fund
PROVENANCE
Prior to 1848, provenance not yet documented; by 1848, acquired by Nathan Sturges Jarvis; 1848, gift of Nathan Sturges Jarvis to the New-York Historical Society, New York, NY; 1937, loaned by the New-York Historical Society to the Brooklyn Museum; 1950, purchased from the New-York Historical Society by the Brooklyn Museum.
Provenance FAQ
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Red catlinite pipe. The bowl is carved with two human faces; one placed facing the smoker and the other at the back of the bowl. Bands of lead are inlaid around the bowl and the short section meant to connect to the stem. There are remnants of where another figure was attached to the topside of the short stem.
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Sisseton, Sioux. Inlaid Pipe Bowl with Two Faces, early 19th century. Catlinite (pipestone), lead, 3 x 5 x 3 in. (7.6 x 12.7 x 7.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Henry L. Batterman Fund and the Frank Sherman Benson Fund, 50.67.104. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 50.67.104_profile_PS9.jpg)
IMAGE
profile, 50.67.104_profile_PS9.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2013
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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