An imported sherry bottle becomes something altogether more arresting in this finely woven work by an unidentified Tlingit artist. Encased in spruce root and dyed grasses, the glass is softened, concealed, and reimagined through twining into an object that feels at once intimate and inventive. The word “SHERRY” appears in false embroidery in bear grass, while the cork is ringed with narrow bands of pale yellow, red, and black. At the shoulder and heel, the so-called “shaman’s hat pattern” unfolds in a rhythmic geometry said to recall mountains meeting the sea. What might have remained a simple container is instead given texture, presence, and a quiet sense of transformation. It is a work of resourcefulness and charm, where imported material and Indigenous weaving knowledge are brought into unusually graceful accord.

First Arts extends our gratitude to Sarah Raven for her assistance in cataloging this lot.