Human and Bear Maple Effigy Ladle
Great Lakes Woodlands, circa 1820

One can only speculate its meaning, but it is possibly a transference of power or energy. The whole is well executed with openwork carving around the figures. Strong tigering of the maple specimen throughout the handle and effigies.

The majority of Woodlands/Great Lakes effigy ladles feature a single representational element carved at the end of the handle. These figures are iconic forms that sit as majestic miniatures proclaiming a personal or clan relationship of the owner.

These two ladles (see lot 425) are unusual in that they represent more than one figure in the case of the human and the bear, or one figure interacting with an object, such as the man smoking a bear effigy pipe. In many cultural areas of Native America the bear is especially associated with healing and medicine. The bear and the human imply a narrative, a story that would have been understood by all who saw it. The use of tobacco and the smoking pipe are sacred ritual acts in Native American societies. So the representation of a man in the act of smoking was a familiar one and would have engaged the user and the viewer in another meaningful narrative.

-Evan M. Maurer, Director Emeritus, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, December, 2011, referring also to lot 125

L. 10 3/8 in.

The Peter Brams Collection

Estimate: $3,000-6,000

The Peter Brams Collection of Important Woodlands Indian Art

Vertical crack on ground just below bear. Area is stable. The lip of the bowl is beveled, probably shaved during use.