Two 17th-century Eskimos at Rosenborg Palace

Abstract

Two seventeenth-century drinking vessels or cups, made of narwhal tusk and mounted in precious metals, have as part of their fittings miniature sculptures of Eskimos. The two figures are rendered in extremely naturalistic detail, making it possible to study their costume. This makes them 'missing links' in the evolution of Eskimo costume between the fifteenth-century mummies and modern dress.

This paper presents the cups, and places them in their historical context, but leaves the evaluation of the costume-historical evidence to the ethnographers