On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Hotokáneheh, Piegan Blackfoot Man
Karl Bodmer Swiss
Not on view
A medicine-pipe keeper named Hotokáneheh (Head of the Robe) visited Bodmer’s fort quarters numerous times to have his portrait painted. Tobacco pipes such as the one he holds were called calumets by European traders and officials. Within many Indigenous traditions, they are smoked on special occasions to ensure the people’s welfare. Here, Hotokáneheh grasps the pipe’s wood stem, pointing its mouthpiece upward in a ceremonial gesture. The depictions of red wool, dyed horsehair, and downy-tipped eagle feathers affixed to it exemplify Bodmer’s ability to bring a variety of textures into acute focus.
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