Lot 33
UNIDENTIFIED ARTIST, POSSIBLY INUPIAQ, NOME, ALASKA
Engraved Cribbage Board, c. 1920s to 1930s
ivory and black ink, 1.5 x 19.75 x 2.75 in (3.8 x 50.2 x 7 cm)
unsigned.
ESTIMATE: $1,500 — $2,500
PRICE REALIZED: $2,640
Provenance
Private Collection, British Columbia.
In this handsome cribbage board both sides of the tusk have been levelled to accommodate realistically engraved scenes of wildlife and ocean hunting in landscape settings; decorative side rails have been added as well. The hunting scene on the underside seems to show a Nunivak-style kayak. While we can't rule out Nunivak Island as the source, ivory carvers from that area typically produced tusks and cribbage boards with complex, deep carved depictions of entwined animals, not engraved scenes.