AN IMPORTANT HAIDA SILVER BRACELET

ENGRAVED SILVER BY CHARLES EDENSHAW FROM THE COLLECTION OF JAMES AND MARILYN BERDSTROM Charles Edenshaw was one of the most prolific silver engravers of the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Though the total number of his creations has thus far not been calculated there are many dozens of silver bracelets extant by his hand, as well as many silver spoons, a few silver brooches, and a relatively small number of gold bracelets. None of his works are signed in the Euro-American manner, but each can reveal the identity of their maker through certain aspects of their appearance. These aspects include the design, charateristic handling of the eyelid shapes and the manner of hollowing the eyesockets, the use of double-cut finelines in ground areas, and specific characteristics of the formline elements in general, such as the degree of rounding in the corners of U shapes and ovoids. No single characteristic defines his or any other artist's work. All related characteristics must be looked as a whole in attributing a carver's identity to a piece of work. Steven C. Brown Seattle Art Musem Associate Curator for Native American Art

Details

AN IMPORTANT HAIDA SILVER BRACELET
BY CHARLES EDENSHAW, CIRCA 1880-1910
Of curved band form, engraved with profile bird heads and related imagery
2¼in. (5.7cm.) diameter

Literature

Holm, 1983, p. 124, no. 212

Exhibited

The Box of Daylight, Seattle Art Museum, September 15, 1983-January 8, 1984, no. 212

Lot Essay

Brown (1996) writes: "'Split' raven heads, (joined at the rear of each head) with partial 'salmon-trout' wing joint and feathers. Two short edge cracks and solders from repair attempts on top edge, left side near center. Single clasp hook. Single-hatching in ground areas."