$6,150
Alaskan Aleutian Island Basketry Wallet, c. last quarter 19th century, made from natural grasses, natural and red-dyed sea mammal gut, blue-dyed wool or mammal hair, and native tanned rawhide, wd. 11, ht. 4 1/2 in. Provenance: Collected by Captain William Trotter (1769-1822). Literature: Eighteenth Century Global Trade, The Logs of Captain William Trotter , Maryanne Tefft Force, 2012. A complete essay by Sarah and William Turnbaugh: Wallet or basketry case (Qiigam aygaaxsii). Probably Unangan Aleut, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, ca. 1790s. American dunegrass or beach wildrye grass (Leymus mollis ssp. mollis, syn. Elymus mollis), natural and red-dyed sea mammal gut, blue-dyed wool or mammal hair, native-tanned rawhide closure-remnant stub swabbed red on outer surface only, two-ply S-twist sinew. Close two-strand twining, about 26 twined rows by 20 stitches per inch (520 stitches per sq. in.), three simple bound selvages with warps folded down, one simple clipped selvage (right side). Remnants of undyed and red-dyed sea mammal gut edging all selvages, nine rows of decorative false embroidery using natural and variously colored grasses to create stripes, six decorative false-embroidered interrupted bands of blue-dyed wool or mammal hair. Collected by Capt. William Trotter in the Northwest Coast trade, 1793 or 1797. Measurements: 4.5 in. high by 11 in. wide. The Unangan Aleut are known for exceptionally fine twining, an indigenous technique on both sides of the Bering Strait. Thi Read more…
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2015-11-07
