Zoomorphic figure

Reference : 109

Zoomorphic figure

Marine mammal ivory (walrus Odobemus rosmarus)
Dimensions : Length 13.5cm
Okvik civilization
Presumed period: Old Bering Sea II 100-300 A.D. JC
Kukulik site, St Lawrence Island
Bering Sea,
Alaska, USA

Source :
Jeffrey Myers Collection, New York

This polar bear is distinguished by its elongated neck, as if in a foraging position. The eyes are deeply pierced and the muzzle well defined, signs of the earliest animal sculptures in this region.

This sculpture was extracted from permafrost during excavations at the Kukulik (kookoolik) site, north of St. Lawrence Island, famous for its archaeological digs between 1931 and 1935, directed by Otto Wm. Geist with support from the University of Alaska.

The bear is accompanied by a cub, probably from the Punuk civilization period.

Price: €7,500

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