Rudolph Walton was highly regarded as a silversmith and carver of wood and ivory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A member of the Tlingit Kiks.adi Clan (Raven/Frog), Walton was based in Sitka and was closely associated with the Sitka Training School, a Presbyterian mission school run by Sheldon Jackson. Best known for his engraved silver spoons and inlaid wooden sea lion bowls, Walton created a wide variety of household objects for tourists and curio seekers, which he sold out of his own shop. This seal bowl may be a later example of Walton’s work or that of a student. The head of the seal diverges somewhat from Walton’s style in how the teeth are inlaid and how the eyes are carved, although there are several features on this bowl – particularly the inlays around the rim and the flippers and tail – that are very much in line with Walton’s style of carving and inlay. The construction of the bottom of the bowl is also diagnostic of Walton’s carving. With all of that in mind, it is possible that this bowl was made by a student or admirer of Walton’s work with his assistance. The dish is carved in alder and features abalone inlays in the eyes and bone inlays in the mouth, fins, and rim of the bowl. There are also bone beads inlaid on the flippers and tail of the seal.

Christopher W. Smith