19th C. Spencerian Calligraphic Ink Drawn Fish inuit bone carving Bottles measure 5 3/8" tall

Bottles measure 5 3/8" tall

I'm guessing 1930s or so

often commanding many hundreds of dollars

I purchased the piece at an wonderful estate sale that included a number of fine woven textiles as well as an eclectic collection of notable modern and contemporary art and design objects from around the world

but have since learned there is a long history of vessels like this--the earliest example British and dating back to the 1300s--with holes around the lip

19th C. Spencerian Calligraphic Ink Drawn Fish inuit bone carving Bottles measure 5 3/8" tallOne sees Spencerian calligraphic drawings of deer and birds, especially, around, but rarer to come across a fish, and while this one shows a couple of tears along the bottom edge (which I've mended from the reverse with transparent archival tape), it strikes me as a perfect thing for a fisher person as well, of course, as for a lover of antique calligraphy, as I am. I really love the face on it too, looking a bit smug and self satisfied, perhaps too