Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Pipe Bowl
Not on view
An anonymous master carver used soft pipestone to create this small-scale, intricate sculpture. The object is also a functional pipe, and distinctive lead inlays—including images of buffalo hooves—embellish the disc-shaped bowl and shaft. Several of this artist’s works are found in collections today, and some, like this one, portray Native consumption of alcohol. Although now considered stereotypical, at the time this was an attractive subject to non-Indian collectors.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.