Tlingit Fighting Knife
Tlingit
Steel blade, Carved, incised and inlaid wooden grip with animal hide binding. L. 15 1/4 in.
Provenance: Collected by Lieutenant George T, Emmons, Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, New York. De-Accessioned by trade. Acquired by Robert Du Perrier, H. Malcolm Grimmer, Morning Star Gallery, March 1994, Charles and Valerie Diker, April 1994, Sotheby's, January 2001.

Tapering Steel blade with low median ridge, inset to a divided wood grip of oval section, tightly bound with strips of animal hide, the hilt carved in the form of a voracious avain creature, probably an eagle, with a curving openwork beak, parted to reveal teeth, hollowed eye frames finely carved with classic ovoid eye rims and tall curving ears. Decorated with hand cut plaques of abalone shell inset on the nostrils, eye pupils and and ears, a rich brown patina overall.