Head
Life Story
This head is attributed to Old Bering Sea II, though it could be slightly later (see Ward well, 1986: nos. 58, 65,67). It is almost certainly from a figure, as portions of the shoulders remain above the break point. Tattoo marks are indicated on the forehead and cheeks. The colour is creamy brown, with traces of reddish stains beneath the eyebrow lines.
Steven Hooper, 1997
Entry taken from Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Collection, Vol. 2: Pacific, African and Native North American Art, edited by Steven Hooper (Yale University Press, 1997) p. 229.
Provenance
According to the vendor, George Everett Shaw, it was collected on the Punuk Islands in 1979.
Purchased by the Sainsbury Centre, University of East Anglia from George Shaw, Aspen, Colarado on the advice of Robert Sainsbury in 1980 out of income from the Sainsbury Purchasing Fund.
On display
Title/Description: Head
Materials: Walrus ivory
Measurements: h. 38 x w. 30 x d. 30 mm
Accession Number: 721
Historic Period: Old Bering Sea II (c. AD 100-300)
Production Place: Bering Sea, North America, Punuk Islands, The Americas
Cultural Group: Red River Cree
Credit Line: Purchased with support from Robert and Lisa Sainsbury, 1980
