Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas - 21st September 2022
Lot 19
A pair of Inuit snow goggles
Estimate £1,500 - £2,000 | Hammer £1500
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Description
A pair of Inuit snow goggles
Arctic
bone, of zoomorphic transformation form with a ridged brow and curved eye slits, the sides with attachment holes,
15.2cm wide, on a stand. (2)
cf. The Smithsonian Institute, USNM Number E48996-0 collected by E W Nelson from Sabotnisky, Yukon River, in 1882.
These goggles are carved in the form of an animal mask, probably that of a fox. Arctic foxes have good eyesight for hunting on land and sea ice, a quality that may have been intended to transfer to the owner whilst wearing them.