Zuni Carved Serpentine Bear Fetish with Turquoise Eyes & Offering Bundle

A Zuni carving in warm cream-to-tan serpentine, the bear rendered in the classic standing pose with squared shoulders, incised claw grooves at each paw, and a drilled dorsal breath line running from spine to heart. A single turquoise-and-jet inlaid eye sits at the muzzle. Natural gray dendritic veining and inclusions run through the stone, integrated into the form rather than concealed.

Lashed to the back is a traditional offering bundle: a banded agate arrowhead bound with sinew alongside a stacked medicine bundle of shell, mother-of-pearl, jet, coral, and rough turquoise. In Zuni tradition the bear is the guardian of the West and a healing fetish; the bundled arrowhead and offering pack represent gifts to the spirit that animates the carving. The piece is unmarked; carver attribution is not established.

CONDITION

Good with no remarkable damage. Surface shows expected tool marks and natural stone veining throughout. The offering bundle is secure to the back and the arrowhead binding is intact.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• 1 1/2" H × 3" W × 1 1/4" D
• Weight: 78 grams
• Carving material: serpentine
• Eye inlay: turquoise and jet
• Offering bundle: turquoise, jet, coral, shell, mother-of-pearl, banded agate arrowhead
• Unmarked
• U.S. Quarter Shown for Scale — Not Included