Beschreibung:

Glacial Kame Culture, Late Archaic Period, 3000-500 B.C. DeKalb County, Indiana length 4 in. x width 1.75 in. formed of porphyry, a hard, granitic material; having a rare, bluish hue with large, cream phenocrysts “floating” on matrix; retains original polish This Porphyry Popeye Fantail possesses attributes required for being considered one of the finest of its type. Large button-shaped eyes expand from the beak, to their greatest diameter. The body expands dramatically from the neck, and then contracts back, before flaring once again into a beautiful fantail. The top of the tail has a slight upturn, which has been noted on only a couple other highly developed, examples. A sharp central ridge extends from the front tip of the beak to the top of the tail. The lower ridges which hold the two perforations, are highly developed, with the rear much larger than the front. Discovery: Also known as the Cameron Parks Birdstone, this rare find was unexpectedly discovered in October of 1950. Wellington Young, a young farmer working on Floyd Meyer’s farm, which is located between the towns of Waterloo and Butler in DeKalb County, Indiana, was trailing behind a potato digger, collecting potatoes, when the birdstone was unearthed. After the find, Wellington sold it to Ralph Staley, a DeKalb County local. Staley who knew of Cameron Park’s interest in prehistoric stone artifacts, contacted and sold the birdstone his wife Mabel. Cameron received this birdstone for Christmas, in 1950. It should be noted that the farm on which this piece was found, is located near the center of the greatest concentration of discovered birdstones. This area includes the far northeast counties in Indiana; the adjacent far northwest counties of Ohio, and the adjacent counties of southern Michigan. History: Birdstone collecting begun in earnest during the second half of the nineteenth century. The Porphyry Popeye Fantail type is considered to be the form which reached the highest degree of artistic development in the North American prehistoric world. This has resulted in being the most sought after and prized by modern collectors. The use of porphyry in birdstones is rare. The Porphyry Popeye represents less than 10% of all birdstones discovered. But even more extraordinary, are examples exhibiting a wide and expanding fantail. The Cameron Parks’ birdstone is considered to be among this elite group. Parks himself declared it to be the finest birdstone in the world (Who’s Who in Indian Relics, Vol. III, 1976, page 71). Although a bold statement, he was a proud owner, and may arguably be correct. Townend’s Birdstones of the North American Indian pictures Parks’ birdstone (color plate IV, pg. 76) alongside two other exceptional examples, namely the Lysander, New York birdstone, curated within the collections of the New York State Museum and the “Smithsonian” birdstone, discovered in Vernon County, Wisconsin. A third, also published in Townsend’s book (pg. 379-B), is the St. Joseph County, Indiana birdstone that resides at the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma. These are distinguished examples due of their highly developed form, large size, condition, and the exceptional material from which they were made. All masterpieces of prehistoric art. Published: 1951. The Ohio Archaeologist, Vol. 1, No. 3 (back cover and pg. 35) 1959. Townsend, Earl C., Jr., Birdstones of the North American Indian, pg. 383-B and Color Plate IV) 1960. Wachtel, H.C., Who’s Who in Indian Relics, Vol. I (pg. 73) 1960. Central States Archaeological Journal, Vol. 15, No. 1 (pg. 40) 1968. Wachtel, H.C., Who’s Who in Indian Relics, Vol. II (pg. 140) 1972. Parks, Cameron W., and Thompson, Ben W., Who’s Who in Indian Relics, Vol. III (pg 71) 1976. The Redskin, Vol. 11, No. 1 (pg. 5) 1979. Central States Archaeological Journal, Vol. 26, No. 2 (pg. 101) 1980. Thompson, Ben W., Who’s Who in Indian Relics, Vol. V (pp. 91, 96-97) 2009. Central States Archaeological Journal, Vol. 56, No. 3 (pg. 130-131) 2011.