Large Whalebone Vertebrae Mortar

Large Whalebone Vertebrae Mortar, Northwest Coast, possibly Tlingit, carved from a whale vertebrae, with open mouth baring teeth, with a number of implanted teeth, (minor repair and restoration to one side), ht. 8, wd. 10 1/2 in. Provenance: Norman Hurst Gallery, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Sotheby's, New York, March 23, 1976, Lot 260. Estimate $500-700 Items may have wear and tear, imperfections, or the effects of aging. Any condition statement given, as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Skinner shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.