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Scraper

ca. 1820
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
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.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Scraper
  • Date: ca. 1820
  • Geography: United States, Nebraska
  • Culture: Iowa
  • Medium: Elk antler, pigment
  • Dimensions: Length: 15 3/4 in. (40 cm)
  • Classification: Horn-Implements
  • Credit Line: Collection of Ronald E.Van Anda
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing