Artist/Maker
Wallace, Denise
b. 1957
CultureChugach/Aleut
Place MadeSanta Fe, NEW MEXICO
Place MadeSanta Fe, NEW MEXICO, United States, North America
Title
Seal Hunt Ring
Dateca. 1992
MediumSterling silver, fossilized walrus tusk ivory, and lapis lazuli
Dimensions7/8 x 5/8 in. (2.2 x 1.6 cm)
Donor credit lineODHS Purchase
Object number2023.72
Institutional Credit LineCourtesy of the New Bedford Whaling Museum
DescriptionThis sterling ring made by Denise Wallace (Chugach/Aleut; b. 1957) is decorated with fossilized walrus tusk ivory and lapis Lazuli. On the ring shank is a hunting scene with hunters in pursuit of a group of seals. The mask, or door on the ring shows a seal face with the spirit of the animal represented by the human face underneath. Her works remain firmly planted in the rich stories and customs of the Native people of arctic Alaska, stories that deal with themes of healing, growth, nature and transformation. As she explains, “The transformation aspect is what inspired the doors and hinges on my work ... My work is a direct reflection on my home, my ancestors and my connection to the world."
Label TextDenise Wallace (Chugach/Aleut, b. 1957), Seal Hunt Ring, ca. 1992. Sterling silver, fossilized walrus tusk ivory, and lapis lazuli, 7/8 x 5/8 in. (closed), New Bedford Whaling Museum, 2023.72.ProvenanceArtist; Long Ago & Far Away Native Arts Gallery, 2023.
On View
Not on view
Garrison, William Lloyd,--1805-1879
1971
