North America
UEA 831 - Raven rattle, North America |
UEA 667 - �Chilkat� blanket, North America: Northwest Coast |
UEA 105 - Figure, Bering Sea |
The North American collection features objects from Alaska and the Northwest Coast (the Pacific coast of modern day Washington State and Canada), as well as pieces originating from Greenland through to California and Kentucky.
The oldest works in the collection are ancient walrus ivory and drift-wood sculptures from islands in the Bering Sea, carved between around 200 BC and AD 1200, along with harpoon heads for fishing, toggles, combs and bowls. Common throughout the continent is the representation of animals, whether this is dramatic and stylised such as the Northwest Coast Raven rattle, or carefully observed and exquisitely lifelike.