Lot 72
Native American, Plains or Plateau region, possibly Eastern Shoshone, ca. 19th century CE. A cohesive group of three carved steatite bowls in the utilitarian tradition of Plains and Plateau stone vessel production, each hollowed from a single block of dark grey-green soapstone and worked on the exterior with faceted adze or chisel marks that give the surfaces a distinctive striated texture. The largest is an oval basin form with slightly flared walls; the two smaller examples are cylindrical with thick walls and flat bases, their interiors darkened by long use. Steatite, prized for its softness, workability, and heat-resistant properties, was employed across a broad range of Indigenous peoples of the Plains and Plateau for cooking vessels, bowls, and pipes long before and after European contact, and the sooty residue visible in the interiors attests to sustained practical use over many years. Size of largest: 6.5" W x 3.5" H x 6.3" D (16.5 cm W x 8.9 cm H x 16.0 cm D)
Several of the incised markings on these vessels bear a resemblance to so-called "Togia," a pictographic script that researcher Wendell Grangaard claims was a pre-contact Native American writing system, knowledge of which was passed to him by Benjamin Black Elk, son of the Oglala Lakota holy man Nicholas Black Elk, immortalized in John G. Neihardt's "Black Elk Speaks." The claim remains outside mainstream archaeological consensus, but collectors drawn to the intersection of Plains Indian intellectual history and material culture may find the association of interest.
Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection; ex-private Denver, Colorado, USA collection
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Item #
202370
- Condition: Very Good. All have some minor chips, nicks, scratches, and abrasions as shown, but are otherwise intact and excellent with lustrous, polished surfaces.
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