Wonder Cabinet Sale Catalogue
A Variety of Fine and Unusual Antiques
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A walrus ivory storytelling
knife probably from the Yup'ik region of western Alaska, the
Yukon-Kuskokwim delta. 27.5 cm long. A silver plaque is attached and
is engraved: STORY TELLING KNIFE / GIVEN TO A.V.B. KENNEDY / BY FRANK
WASKEY / WHOM WAS THE FIRST REPRESENTATIVE / FROM ALASKA TO THE U.S. CONGRESS. /
GIVEN TO L.I. DODGE BY A.V.B.K. / JAN. 1, 1925.
These knives are used by young girls to draw
pictures/diagrams in mud to go along with
traditional stories. A nice explanation can be found in Inua: Spirit
World of the Bering Sea Eskimo, by William Fitzhugh
and Susan Kaplan, 1984, Smithsonian Press.
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A very rare Newtonian reflector telescope designed by Jean Bernard Léon Foucault (1819 - 1868) and probably build by Marc Secrétan (1804 - 1867), Paris. The eyepiece is engraved: Foucault / 1859. The wood octagon tube is 132 cm long. The primary mirror has a diameter of 18 cm. This is thought to be one of the larger Foucault telescopes in private hands.
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Medical Antiques Sale Catalogue