Woodlands Blue-Painted Oval Burl Bowl
Ash burl, carved, with beautifully worn old or original Prussian blue paint, in a very fine state of preservation, height 9 ½ inches, width 24 inches, depth 15 ¾ inches. An old, incised inscription on the underside of the bowl reads: “Nathaniel / Lattin / to / Joseph to Bartlett / to Nahum / to Cary / to Wilson Lattin.”
This burl bowl is extraordinary for its grand and impressive scale, delicately thin hewn sides, and rare beautifully worn Prussian blue painted surface. The shape and workmanship are indicative of bowls attributed to native peoples from the Eastern Woodlands of the Great Lakes Region. Its size may suggest its use as a feast bowl. This native American painted burl bowl has been proclaimed as “A National Treasure,” ranking it among the finest examples of its kind in any museum or private collection. Its significance is enhanced by a rare unbroken line of family ownership in New York State from the late eighteenth century until 2016. A tradition in the Lattin family, in which the bowl descended, was washing newborn babies in this bowl.
Provenance:
Nathaniel Lattin (1776-1858), Dutchess County, New York, to his son;
Joseph Allen Lattin (1803-1875), Orleans County, New York, to his son;
Bartlett Marshall Lattin (1836-1900), Orleans County, New York, to his son;
Nahum Anderson Lattin (1865-1917), Orleans County, New York, to his son;
Cary Harling Lattin (1898-1988), Orleans County, New York, to his son;
Cary Wilson Lattin, Albion, Orleans County, New York.
