Elm Human Effigy Ladle
Great Lakes Woodlands (Wyandot), circa 1780-1820

This carving depicting a man's head and neck, is very compelling. The bowl is exceedingly thin and the effigy is meticulously rendered. The features of the face are subtle and sensitively carved. Curiously, just one ear is rendered.

This ladle relates to a group of Wyandot human effigy ladles one being in the collection of The National Museum of the American Indian and pictured in Indian Art in North America, Docstader, pl 237. The character and features of the face are remarkably similar to the face depicted here.

Most woodlands/Great Lakes objects identified as ladles are actually used as spoons to carry food from large communal bowls to smaller individual ones where they function as personal eating utensils. The majority of these have a backward facing, hook-like projection at the top of the handle. This has two functions; it is a convenient way of holding the ladle as the hook rests on the first finger of the user's hand, the projection also allows the ladle to be placed on the rim of the bowl without falling into the center.

In this beautifully executed example, the backwards projection has been carved into the face of a man with smooth, contemplative, features that are echoed by the raised rib that runs down the outside of the ladle, adding strength and elegance to its form.

-Evan M. Maurer, Director Emeritus, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, December, 2011
L. 5 1/4 in.

Literature: Discussed and Illustrated in: Powers, Steven, S. North American Burl Treen: Colonial & Native American. Brooklyn, NY, 2005, p. 172.

The Peter Brams Collection

Estimate: $5,000-8,000

The Peter Brams Collection of Important Woodlands Indian Art