A FINE TLINGIT BENTWOOD FOOD BOX

Details
A FINE TLINGIT BENTWOOD FOOD BOX
Red cedar
Of square form, with a flat top, the sides painted with red and black formlines perhaps representing stylized animal heads showing eye forms, ovals, circles and U forms, a large simple red angular motif at bottom
14¼in. (36.2cm.) high
Literature
Holm, 1983, p. 71, no. 111
Exhibited
The Box of Daylight, Seattle Art Museum , September 15, 1983-January 8, 1984, no. 111

Lot Essay

Holm (1983, p. 71, no. 111) describes this as a food box or bent corner bowl which is characterized by "asymetrical painting, different on each side, and every design oriented in the same direction rather than mirroring adjacent sides." It is also noted that "the painting is particularly elegant with its many unusual and imaginative details." The large red pattern at the bottom is an example of a ultra primary formline painting.