Accession No

Z 45378


Description

Ivory carving of polar bear, carved in one piece. Features include a head with eyes, ears, and nose; elongated neck with four vertical incisions on both sides; rounded body with singular long horizontal incision on both sides; four legs with flattened feet; small tail at butt. Break on shoulder on one side.


Place

Arctic; North America; Canada; Nunavut


Period

?Thule ?Inuit


Source

?1934 Wordie Expedition; ?1937 Wordie Expedition; ?Rowley, Graham Westbrook [collector and donor]; ?Manning, Thomas Henry [collector and donor]


Department

Arch


Reference Numbers

Z 45378


Cultural Affliation


Material

Ivory


Local Term


Measurements

126mm


Events

Description (Physical description)
Accession Register: 'Animal figure'
Event Date
Author: Imogen Gunn (admin)


Description (Physical description)
Ivory model of polar bear; elongated neck with four incisions either side and a long incision down the length of each side of the model.
Event Date 2/2/2001
Author: maa


Context (Amendments / updates)
Z 45378 was entered in the Z Register as being collected by Thomas Lethbridge on the 1934 Wordie Expedition, however Lethbridge was on the 1937 Wordie Expedition not the 1934 Expedition. There is no entry for a polar bear figure on the list of excavated finds finds from the 1934 Wordie Expedition (XA/1/10), nor is it illustrated or described in Lethbridge's article about his excavations on the 1937 Wordie Expedition (RAI, vol 69(2), 1939). It is possible that it was collected, rather than excavated, during either the 1934 or 1937 Wordie Expedition, although it is also possible that it was collected and donated by either Graham Rowley or Thomas Manning during their time in the Arctic (1936 - 1939). All of these possibilities have been tentatively added to the Source field, whilst Lethbridge has been removed.
Event Date 22/10/2024
Author: Imogen Gunn (admin)


Description (Physical description)
Ivory carving of polar bear, carved in one piece. Features include a head with eyes, ears, and nose; elongated neck with four vertical incisions on both sides; rounded body with singular long horizontal incision on both sides; four legs with flattened feet; small tail at butt. Break on shoulder on one side, large circular perforation near butt.
Event Date 23/10/2024
Author: J. Dack


FM:27353

Images (Click to view full size):