Maple Kneeling Woman Effigy Ladle
Great Lakes Woodlands (Wyandot), circa 1780-1820

Atypical, the carving is of a woman, as is her presentation. The deep proportion from the front of the bowl to the back of the handle is dramatic and unusual.

She is quiet and solemnly depicted. As can be seen in the clever way the back hook becomes her lower legs, she is kneeling. Her hair is exacting and beautifully rendered.

This ladle relates to a Wyandot women effigy ladle (sold Bonhams & Butterfields, 2004) and scoop (National Museum of the American Indian, cat. No. 14/9600)
H. 6 1/4 in., L. 4 1/2 in., W. 4 in.

Provenance: Wellington Collection

Exhibitions: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1982, in the exhibit "Please the Spirits"

Literature: Illustrated in:
Ewing, Douglas, C. Pleasing the Spirits, p. 348, Plate 427.

Powers, Steven, S. North American Burl Treen: Colonial & Native American. Brooklyn, NY, 2005, p. 172.


The Peter Brams Collection

Estimate: $6,000-10,000

The Peter Brams Collection of Important Woodlands Indian Art

There is a small chip 3/8 inch wide of placed wood on the edge of the bowl. In the same area, a 3/4 inch section broke off but was glued back. A small section including the right cheeck, ear, eye, and hair appear to have been replaced at an earlier date.