Helmet

Museum number:
2-19163
Permalink:
ark:/21549/hm21020019163
Alternate number:
2-19279ab (original number)
Accession number:
Acc.854
Description:
Closed crown, long-visored type. Bentwood with encircling horizontal bands of yellow, red, black, blue and green over whitewash. 2 pairs of eye-like designs in front, the top pair continuing to radiate design towards the back. Bone volutes (pair) at sides, each with triangle-shaped base continuing to spirals; incised circle and dot designs in blue and red; at top of each is a bird carved in the round. Bone backplate over back seam has incised blue and red linear designs and...(cont'd in Comments)
Donor:
Ellinor C. Davidson and George Davidson
Collection place:
Alaska
Verbatim coll. place:
Alaska
Culture or time period:
Aleut
Collector:
George Davidson
Collection date:
1867-1883
Object type:
ethnography
Object class:
Carvings (visual works)
Accession date:
1945
Context of use:
Hunting helmet. The right to wear these hats was the prerogative of chiefs and high notables.
Department:
Native US and Canada (except California)
Dimensions:
length 43 centimeters, length 45 centimeters, and length 12.7 centimeters
Comment:
(cont'd from Description) ..numerous perforations for sealion whiskers (lost); base of missing [bird?] figure at top of backplate. Numerous old repairs with cordage; one internal bone splice. Comments: Loaned to State Museum at Fort Ross 1956, damaged in fire 1966, returned to LMA (Lowie Museum of Anthropology) June 1983. Originally described as "wooden hunting helmet with attached ivory ornaments and bird figure, painted." Bird figure may have been finial on backplate. Volutes identified as Aleut by Lydia Black in 1982. Conservation: Volutes from same accession attached July 1983 by Geoffrey Brown, Conservator under supervision of Barbara Busch, Curatorial Anthropologist. Both feel reasonably sure that these are original to specimen and got separated before the collection was donated to LMA. Paints consolidated with 5% polyvinyl butyrate in alcohol, masking tape removed from underside and backplate, backplate reattached at base with cotton thread. References: "ALEUT ART", Lydia Black, pp. 136ff. and Pl. VII - XII. Also Ivanov, "Aleut Hunting Headgear.
Loans:
S1951-1952 #1: University of California, Los Angeles (March 15, 1952–returned by 1957)
Legacy documentation:
Documentation associated with Hearst Museum object titled Helmet, accession number 2-19163, described as Closed crown, long-visored type. Bentwood with encircling horizontal bands of yellow, red, black, blue and green over whitewash. 2 pairs of eye-like designs in front, the top pair continuing to radiate design towards the back. Bone volutes (pair) at sides, each with triangle-shaped base continuing to spirals; incised circle and dot designs in blue and red; at top of each is a bird carved in the round. Bone backplate over back seam has incised blue and red linear designs and...(cont'd in Comments)Documentation associated with Hearst Museum object titled Helmet, accession number 2-19163, described as Closed crown, long-visored type. Bentwood with encircling horizontal bands of yellow, red, black, blue and green over whitewash. 2 pairs of eye-like designs in front, the top pair continuing to radiate design towards the back. Bone volutes (pair) at sides, each with triangle-shaped base continuing to spirals; incised circle and dot designs in blue and red; at top of each is a bird carved in the round. Bone backplate over back seam has incised blue and red linear designs and...(cont'd in Comments)Documentation associated with Hearst Museum object titled Helmet, accession number 2-19163, described as Closed crown, long-visored type. Bentwood with encircling horizontal bands of yellow, red, black, blue and green over whitewash. 2 pairs of eye-like designs in front, the top pair continuing to radiate design towards the back. Bone volutes (pair) at sides, each with triangle-shaped base continuing to spirals; incised circle and dot designs in blue and red; at top of each is a bird carved in the round. Bone backplate over back seam has incised blue and red linear designs and...(cont'd in Comments)Documentation associated with Hearst Museum object titled Helmet, accession number 2-19163, described as Closed crown, long-visored type. Bentwood with encircling horizontal bands of yellow, red, black, blue and green over whitewash. 2 pairs of eye-like designs in front, the top pair continuing to radiate design towards the back. Bone volutes (pair) at sides, each with triangle-shaped base continuing to spirals; incised circle and dot designs in blue and red; at top of each is a bird carved in the round. Bone backplate over back seam has incised blue and red linear designs and...(cont'd in Comments)

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