Pre-Contact Inuit Wood & Fossilized Mammoth Ivory Adze
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Description
Native American, Pacific Northwest Coast, United States, Alaska, Pre-Contact period, Inuit, ca. 1000 to 1700 CE. An adze carved from a L-shaped piece of wood with a massive piece of fossilized mammoth ivory as the blade, secured by sinew cords. The rod handle slightly curves and an integral hafting face with a notch on the underside for anchoring the sinew. The ivory is polished with a beveled edge and curved shoulder that is wrapped in the cords. Pre-contact with Europeans, tools were traditionally made with stone or bone blades and served a variety of purposes such as chopping ice, digging, and shaping boats. While fossilized mammoth remains are an unusual choice, Late Pleistocene / Late Upper Paleolithic cultures used the mammoth's tusk for tools, and later cultures would discover the fossilized remains in the permafrost- the tusks proving to be very fracture resistant. Size: 18" L x 6.75" W (45.7 cm x 17.1 cm)
Provenance: private San Francisco, California, USA collection, acquired 1970s to 2000s
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.
#170435
Provenance: private San Francisco, California, USA collection, acquired 1970s to 2000s
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.
#170435
Condition
Chips and abrasions to wood and pressure fissure near hafting head. Chips to ivory blade, but overall excellent. Sinew is tight and secure and great patina throughout.
Buyer's Premium
- 26.5%
Pre-Contact Inuit Wood & Fossilized Mammoth Ivory Adze
Estimate $1,100 - $1,650
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Item located in Louisville, CO, usOffers In-House Shipping
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