Native American, Northwestern United States, Alaska, Inuit, Pre-Contact Period, ca. 15th to 18th century CE. This is a wonderful example of a hunting tool hand-carved from a whale bone into a harpoon foreshaft! The tapered bone has a socketing cavity at the wider end for mounting on a pole, and the other end has two prongs that create a slot for holding a separate stone blade. A drilled piercing before the blade slot is for a line or cord to pass through that would run down the handle to the hunter to pull this shaft and large animals ashore. A linear carving is engraved from the blade end towards socketing hole on one face. This large shaft was ideal for prey such as seals, walrus, and whales! Size: 9.5" L x 2.25" W (24.1 cm x 5.7 cm)
Provenance: private Southern California collection, California, USA, acquired through descent 2006; ex-private California collection, USA, before 2000
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.
#168159
Condition
Age and use expected surface wear and chip to the tip of narrow prong. Abrasions and stable fissures throughout, but otherwise intact with nice patina.