About this artwork
This box is covered in designs typical of Northwest Coast art, a style called “formline.” James Johnson created images of animals from ovoid shapes and U-forms, which combine to make faces along the corners of the box. What these bold images in some ways mask, however, is that they are carved and painted over a single, continuous plank of wood. Johnson carved the piece of yellow cedar with grooves, called kerfs, then steamed the wood to make it pliable, and bent it at the corners to create the box’s shape.
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Status
- On View, Gallery 264
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Department
- Arts of the Americas
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Artist
- James P. Johnson ONN-ISS-KWAH
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Culture
- Tlingit
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Title
- Lákt (Bentwood Box)
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Places
- Gilbert (Object made in), United States (Artist's nationality:), Tlingit (Artist's nationality:)
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Date
- 2019
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Medium
- Yellow and red cedar, and acrylic paint
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Dimensions
- 21.6 × 21.6 × 21.6 cm (8 1/2 × 8 1/2 × 8 1/2 in.)
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Credit Line
- Mrs. Leonard S. Florsheim, Jr. Fund
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Reference Number
- 2019.1179
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.
