Excavated Eskimo Ivory Double Seal Toggle (#18-025)

A wonderful antique Eskimo walrus ivory toggle, carved with seal’s heads on each end. Carved to resemble a reclining or swimming seal when seen in profile, the portion that would be the tail flipper has also been carved with a second smaller seal face. The eyes nose and ears are deeply drilled and inlaid with baleen (missing in the nostrils of the larger head. A rectangular hole is also carved in the center of the toggle to accommodate a line of some type. Portions of the surface have taken on a dark brown color from long burial in the ground. A fine hunting related Eskimo artifact, in the form of an animal that is integral to their subsistence and way of life.

Circa: 19th Century or Earlier Length: 2 1/8″