Feast Ladle
Elaborate utensils, valuable possessions of Northwest Coast noble clans, were used during potlatch feasts. An imposing eagle hovers, patron-like, over this ladle’s bowl and the bounty it once served; a bear’s head appears on the underside of the bowl. Both may be crests, motifs that, like European heraldry, were exclusive to important families and referred to their histories and rights to control land and resources.
Details
- Palette
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- Dimensions
- overall: width 0.13 m
- Department
- Art of the Americas
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image provider
- cleveland-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- The Harold T. Clark Educational Extension Fund
Art Genome Taxonomy
10 tags
Subject Matter
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Animals Both · 99%
The image prominently depicts a modeled eagle, and the museum catalog identifies an eagle above the bowl and a bear on the underside as major animal motifs.
Visual Qualities
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Highly Ornamented Visual · 97%
The ladle has an elaborately carved eagle, repeated incised decoration, scalloped edging, and numerous contrasting inlays across its surface.
Time Periods
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Late 19th Century Art Metadata · 75%
The catalog dates the object to the late 1800s–early 1900s, supporting a late-nineteenth-century association while leaving the precise period uncertain.
Geographic Regions
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American Art Metadata · 90%
The work is classified by the Cleveland Museum of Art under Art of the Americas and originated in Native North America.
Materials
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Bone Metadata · 96%
Bone is explicitly listed in the museum's medium description; the photograph alone does not establish which pale components are bone rather than horn.
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Inlay Both · 97%
Reflective inserts are visible along the handle and bowl, and the catalog identifies them as abalone shell inlay.
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Metal Both · 94%
Copper-colored edging and fittings are visible, and copper is explicitly listed in the catalog medium.
Cultural and Religious Styles
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Native American, First Nations, and Alaska Native Art Metadata · 99%
The museum records the place of origin as Native North America, Northwest Coast, Alaska, Tlingit.
Tableware, Vessels, and Objects
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Bowl Both · 95%
The lower section is visibly an open bowl attached to a long handle, and the catalog identifies the object as a feast ladle.
Antiquities, Artifacts, and Religious Objects
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Ceremonial Object Metadata · 92%
The catalog describes the ladle as an elaborate utensil used during potlatch feasts and associated with valuable possessions of Northwest Coast noble clans.
Source & rights
Unknown artist. Feast Ladle. Cleveland Museum of Art.