Assiniboine Burial Scaffold

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Artist

Karl Bodmer

Birth and death dates

1809 - 1893

Artist Nationality

Swiss

Title

Assiniboine Burial Scaffold

Date

July 4, 1833

Dimensions

12 1/2 × 10 1/8 in. (31.8 × 25.7 cm)

Medium

Watercolor on paper

Institution

Joslyn Art Museum

Credit Line

Gift of the Enron Art Foundation

Accession Number

1986.49.173

Rights (i.e. copyright information)

Joslyn Art Museum

Photographer credit

Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2019

Commentary

The Assiniboines, like the Sioux, frequently placed their dead on platforms secured to scaffolds or tree limbs. This was one of many "tree graves" observed by Maximilian and Bodmer around Fort Union. The quiet of the scene, painted on July  is heightened by the luxuriant foliage and the thicket of blooming roses. A somewhat different mood is conveyed by the later aquatint (Tableau 30) to which Bodmer added three prowling wolves at the base of the tree.

References in Journal

July 5, 1833

Labels:

Fort Union, North Dakota

Approximate Depicted Location:

Fort Union, North Dakota