Bear's Belly - Arikara
Artist
Edward S. Curtis
(American, 1868 - 1952)
Engraver
John Andrew & Son
(American (founded 1869))
Datecopyright 1908
Mediumphotogravure on paper
Dimensions22 1/4 × 18 1/4 inches (56.5 × 46.4 cm)
Other (Plate): 17 5/8 × 13 inches (44.8 × 33 cm)
Other (Plate): 17 5/8 × 13 inches (44.8 × 33 cm)
Credit LinePurchase of the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, 2013
Object number2013.2.5.4
ClassificationsPhotographs
Label TextCurtis identified his subject as “a member of the medicine fraternity, wrapped in his sacred bear-skin.” Curtis quoted Bear’s Belly concerning his spiritual journey. “Needing a bear-skin in my medicine-making, I went . . . into the White Clay hills. . . . All the thought of my heart was to see a bear and kill him.” Bear’s Belly encountered not just one bear, but he found three. He overcame all of them. In the image, the bear-skin envelopes Bear’s Belly. It gives a sense of unity between the man and the spiritual power he acquired from the animal.
ProvenanceAcquired by subscription directly from the artist by the National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.[1]; purchased December 6, 2012 through (Christies, New York, New York,[2]) by (Arader Galleries, New York, New York); purchased June 10, 2013 through (Arader Galleries, New York, New York) by the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation; accessioned to the Stark Museum of Art | [1] This set was stored in the National Geographic Society’s archive housed in the Society’s Washington, D.C. headquarters. | [2] "The National Geographic Collection: The Art of Exploration," December 6, 2012, Christie’s, New York, Rockefeller Plaza, sale 2603, lot 65
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