Isaac Tait was the son of Nisga’a master carver Norman Tait, whose affinity for clear hardwood and realistic carving deeply influenced the junior Tait’s work. This highly sculptural Raven Dish projects a liveliness that Tait has created by slightly turning the Raven’s head to the side and freeing the wings and tail from the bowl form. Isaac, like his father, was a master of visceral corporality, with a rare talent for imbuing wood with the tension and surface of lifelike skin or actual flesh, which he has done here. The human face on the tail of the Raven embodies Tait’s style, which combines Northwest Coast stylization with realistic rendering.