2-723-662 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Beaver-Shaped Bowl, c. 1890-1920. Bowls were a major art form on the Pacific Northwest Coast, where they were used in many contexts including feasts that validated the rights and privileges of wealthy noble families. During the transition from subsistence to employment economies in the early 20th century, native carvers turned their skills toward creating bowls like this charming example for the curio market.