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Pipe Bowl and Stem

Osage

Not on view

Transforming a pipe’s bowl into a sculpted human head has a long history in Plains and Woodlands sculpture. Although stylized, this carved bowl is likely a portrait of a specific male Indian, with features carefully defined and sensitively modeled. In an unusual configuration, the head faces away from the smoker, while the conventional Osage motif of human hands embellishes the stem in low relief.

Pipe Bowl and Stem, Catlinite (red pipestone), wood (ash), Osage

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