"Rope Wire Attachment - Thule Culture, Alaska - 12th - 16th Century"
Rope Wire Attachment showing a SEAL HEADThule culture, Alaska
12th - 16th century
Marine ivory
H. 1.3 ; L 2 cm
This carved marine ivory rope tie features a seal's head, its eyes, ears and nostrils encrusted with small pegs, probably whalebone.
There is a hollow in the neck where the rope was slipped.
The seal is associated with hunting in the culture of the Far North. It is depicted to symbolise the prey it represents, but also the guiding spirit that fosters harmony between the animal and human worlds.
Text and photos © FCP CORIDON
Ref : 4604
Le Magazine
Rivista Artiquariato
TRÉSORS magazine