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Pipe Bowl

ca. 1830
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
An anonymous master carver used soft pipestone to create this small-scale, intricate sculpture. The object is also a functional pipe, and distinctive lead inlays—including images of buffalo hooves—embellish the disc-shaped bowl and shaft. Several of this artist’s works are found in collections today, and some, like this one, portray Native consumption of alcohol. Although now considered stereotypical, at the time this was an attractive subject to non-Indian collectors.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Pipe Bowl
  • Date: ca. 1830
  • Geography: United States, Minnesota
  • Culture: Santee Dakota (Eastern Sioux)
  • Medium: Catlinite (red pipestone), lead
  • Dimensions: Height: 3 13/16 in. (9.7 cm)
    Length: 7 7/8 in. (20 cm)
  • Classification: Stone-Implements
  • Credit Line: National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., Department of Anthropology (E2622-0)
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing