Figure
Figure
Object name: Figure
Date: 1700-1902
Medium: Stone, hair
Object number: C09874
DescriptionIcon. Head in a greenish stone or marble, with human hair attached to top of head, and eye inserts.
Small carvings of humans and animals served two primary functions: spiritual or self-entertainment. Many of these small figures were made as tokens of luck or protection in hunting and health, and some of them are thought to have represented spirits of various inanimate or animate objects. However, many times objects were simply made as a way to pass the time honing artistic skill that could be applied to a later, more significant purpose - for instance, needle case attachments, harpoon-heads, and so forth. This particular sculpture fragment could have had either function.
Small carvings of humans and animals served two primary functions: spiritual or self-entertainment. Many of these small figures were made as tokens of luck or protection in hunting and health, and some of them are thought to have represented spirits of various inanimate or animate objects. However, many times objects were simply made as a way to pass the time honing artistic skill that could be applied to a later, more significant purpose - for instance, needle case attachments, harpoon-heads, and so forth. This particular sculpture fragment could have had either function.