AN ESKIMO FIDDLE

Details
AN ESKIMO FIDDLE

Of elongated oval form tapering at the top with two frets and rectangular groove, the large sounding board with two faces showing perforated eyes, noses and downturned mouths, the top face with open eyes, the bottom face with slitted, partially closed and shaped eyes, red pigment surrounding each face in broad round forms, 22in. (55.8cm.) long

Lot Essay

Fiddles were introduced to the Eskimo in the 19th Century and were used both in North Alaska and along the Bering Sea Coast. They were decorated with religious imagery. In this example the two faces may represent the sun and the moon or the phases of the moon (see Kaplan and Barsness, 1986, p. 159, no. 157).