US Resources – Bentwood Box – New York (USA)

This elaborate cedar storage chest was made by Tlingit artists from the southeast region of Alaska in the late 19th century. The chest is composed of three parts: a bent panel for the sides, a thin flat base, and a thick closing lid that fits securely over the exterior frame. The four vertical walls are made from a single plank of wood that has been scored, steamed, and bent into shape using a kerfing technique. The front- and back-facing designs of this chest were first carved in shallow relief and then painted; the lateral faces of the container feature painted designs with no carved relief. On the front of the chest, a broad, frontal face with bared teeth and tongue is indicated in black outline. The abstracted face has two double-eyes and elaborations of faces located in the inner eye sockets. Its tongue hangs from a gaping mouth, split into two rounded ovoids. Underneath the face, a human form emerges, positioned between two upright hands painted in red. Salmon-trout-head ovoids are placed as space fillers at each of the four corners. These small ovular forms and rounded ovoids are echoed throughout the copiously decorated surface. The lateral sides of the container are each embellished with a painted elongated figure with two upright hands. Select features of the figure are further emphasized by fine hatching.