Feast Ladle
Unknown Artist
late 1800s–early 1900s
Medium
horn, bone, copper, abalone shell inlay
Dimensions
{"overall":{"width":0.13,"length":0.442}}
Classification
Miscellaneous
Department
Art of the Americas
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
The Harold T. Clark Educational Extension Fund
Accession Number
1953.386
About this artwork
Elaborate utensils, valuable possessions of Northwest Coast noble clans, were used during potlatch feasts. An imposing eagle hovers, patron-like, over this ladle’s bowl and the bounty it once served; a bear’s head appears on the underside of the bowl. Both may be crests, motifs that, like European heraldry, were exclusive to important families and referred to their histories and rights to control land and resources.