Sleigh Runner

Eagle in Artifact Ivory-Comprised of three different artifacts excavated on the St. Lawerence Island in the bering Sea, aged 1500-3000 years.

Carved into a broken piece of fossil walrus ivory sled runner is an eagle swooping down towards a salmon run. This ivory is highly colored due to the minerals in the earth it was buried in. Much of the original surface is left on the artifact to show the contrast between weathered fossil and the rich interior ivory.

The shaft that is socketed permanently into the base of the runner is also a walrus ivory artifact. This piece is a fair example of an ice tester that would be lashed onto a poleand used to probe while walking over ice. The entire sculpture then fits into it's base of Siberian jet and is removable as a single piece. The base has another artifact inset as well, this one being a harpoon head that would have had a point of stone or iron lashed into the slot on the bottom end. 

An extremely unique and rare combination of Arctic materials, using craftsmanship, form, function and art that spans a millennia.