This is a captivating and haunting carving. Hewn from maple, the clam shaped bowl is exceedingly thin and the effigy is meticulously rendered. The features of the face are subtly and sensitively carved. Curiously, just one ear is rendered.

This ladle relates to a group of Wyandotte human effigy ladles, one being in the collection of The National Museum of the American Indian and pictured in INDIAN ART IN NORTH AMERICA, Dockstader, pl 237. The character and features of the face in the Museum's ladle are remarkably similar to the face of this example.