Pipe Bowl and Stem
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Transforming a pipe’s bowl into a sculpted human head has a long history in Plains and Woodlands sculpture. Although stylized, this carved bowl is likely a portrait of a specific male Indian, with features carefully defined and sensitively modeled. In an unusual configuration, the head faces away from the smoker, while the conventional Osage motif of human hands embellishes the stem in low relief.
Artwork Details
- Title: Pipe Bowl and Stem
- Date: ca. 1875
- Geography: United States, Oklahoma
- Culture: Osage
- Medium: Catlinite (red pipestone), wood (ash)
- Dimensions: Length: 7 1/4 in. (18.4 cm) (pipe bowl)
Length: 17 1/4 in. (43.8 cm) (pipe stem) - Classifications: Wood-Implements, Stone-Implements
- Credit Line: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri, Bequest of Donald D. Jones (2001.3.331.1,2)
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing