Small, beautifully made bowls like this one are a classic example of how Northwest Coast artists play with visual expectations. Bowls carved in this traditional shape and decorated with similar two-dimensional designs are often quite large, sometimes reaching 35 to 38 centimetres across. This one, however, is a compact and elegant miniature, roughly the size of an average human hand. Its surface has turned almost black after long exposure to eulachon oil.

Eulachon oil has always been an important food and trade item to the Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest. Eulachon, also called candlefish, are small fish similar to smelt that spend most of the year in deep ocean waters. In early spring they move into the tidal parts of mainland rivers to spawn, where they are usually caught in nets.

Eulachon are eaten fresh, are smoked and dried for storage, or processed into oil. To make the oil, the fish are left to ferment in shallow wood-lined pits for 10 to 12 days, then heated in large containers of water until they break apart and release their oil. After this outdoor rendering, the notoriously pungent fish oil is skimmed from the surface, strained and stored.

Carvers made special grease bowls for serving the pale and flavourful eulachon oil. Some of these were large enough for groups of guests, while smaller bowls like this one were intended for personal use during everyday meals of dried fish or roots.

This particular personal grease bowl is an exceptional example. The bowl is well shaped, with smoothly rounded edges, its wood deeply saturated with oil. The balanced design and the precision of the relief carving show the work of a highly skilled artist. The engraved designs are simple but remain clear despite heavy wear from long use. Grooves run along the inner rim and up the flared ends. The sharp and angular character of what appears to be a face design suggests an early date, possibly reaching back to the late eighteenth century.

For the biography on Gary Bell in PDF format, please click here.

To view the full catalogue for The Gary Bell Collection: Masterworks of Northwest Coast Art, please click here.