Canoe Model
Artist
Unknown
CultureHaida | Native American
DateLate 19th or early 20th century
MediumCedar wood and paint
DimensionsOverall: 8 x 6 5/8 x 54 3/4 in. (20.3 x 16.8 x 139.1 cm)
Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number71.3642
Not on view
DescriptionCarved and painted model of a Haida chief's canoe. Bow and stern are painted with thin, red and black formline designs; center of vessel is painted solid black.Label TextHaida Haida Gwaii, British Columbia Model for a Canoe, late 19th or early 20th century Cedar wood and paint Canoes have long been at the center of life for coastal Native communities of the Pacific Northwest, offering transportation through a landscape of forested shorelines dotted with islands. Hollowed out from a single evergreen tree and reaching upwards of 50-60 feet in length, canoes are often vessels of great prestige and importance. This small model demonstrates the same technique, form, design, and painting used for full-scale canoes. Notice the skillful carving and careful decoration. What colors and shapes do you see? Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.3642Exhibition HistoryAdded by the Chrysler Museum of Art to the museum's local presentation of traveling exhibition "Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, March 3-July 2, 2023.
ca. 1880-1900
1912-1959
