Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.

Scraper

Iowa

Not on view

A richly colored patina, highly polished surface, and unusual pictorial imagery distinguish this scraper, a women’s tool for cleaning and dressing animal hides. At the top of the handle are five soldiers rendered in a Euro-American style, and at the bottom is a head of a man with raised hair and wavy lines that emanate from it, suggesting supernatural power. It is likely this object was made for a ritual function, rather than everyday use.

Scraper, Elk antler, pigment, Iowa

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.