Whale

1 1/8" x 1 3/8"

This interesting "unfolded" whale design was inspired by a Kaigani Haida button blanket thought to have been made around 1890. Commenting on the original button blanket design, Bill Holm in The Box of Daylight notes that the hole in each side of the folded over dorsal fin "is said to be a characteristic of certain supernatural whales." It has been suggested by some art historians that such artifacts in European museums inspired the modern Cubist movement.

Larger view.