12th C. Pre-Contact Yupik Thule Whale Bone Axe Head
Native American, Northwestern United States, Alaska, Yupik peoples, Thule period, ca. 1200 to 1700 CE. A hand carved whale bone hatchet or axe head from the pre-contact period before Europeans made metal tools more widely available! This thick bone is perhaps a rib that has been cut down to a rectangular section with four piercings drilled through the center. The underside has a shallow groove set between the holes for hafting the bone onto a wooden handle; a sinew cord would be woven through the piercings to secure the handle in place. The wider end of the bone is carved with a short cavity, which could be age related wear, or intentional for securing a sharpened stone blade in the socket. Size: 4.5" L x 2.75" W (11.4 cm x 7 cm)
Provenance: private Littleton, Colorado, USA collection, found along the Arctic Sea coast, just west of Barrow, Alaska, USA in 1959
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
#165882
Condition Report: Chip to face and losses to the rim of the socket as shown. Surface wear and scratches. Dark brown patina on the bone and great signs of age.
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Native American, Northwestern United States, Alaska, Yupik peoples, Thule period, ca. 1200 to 1700 CE. A hand carved whale bone hatchet or axe head from the pre-contact period before Europeans made metal tools more widely available! This thick bone is perhaps a rib that has been cut down to a rectangular section with four piercings drilled through the center. The underside has a shallow groove set between the holes for hafting the bone onto a wooden handle; a sinew cord would be woven through the piercings to secure the handle in place. The wider end of the bone is carved with a short cavity, which could be age related wear, or intentional for securing a sharpened stone blade in the socket. Size: 4.5" L x 2.75" W (11.4 cm x 7 cm)
Provenance: private Littleton, Colorado, USA collection, found along the Arctic Sea coast, just west of Barrow, Alaska, USA in 1959
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
#165882
Condition Report: Chip to face and losses to the rim of the socket as shown. Surface wear and scratches. Dark brown patina on the bone and great signs of age.
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Time, Location
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