Typology Example 3, AMNH DN/128
Curved Pick bannerstone; New York, banded slate, h. 2.7 w. 13.6 cm.
Though many bannerstones are carefully composed and beautifully carved, a few stand out as exceedingly fine works such as this Curved Pick from Glenn Falls, New York (AMNH DN/128). Everything about this bannerstone is exquisite. The sculptor chose a slate rock with the white streak of a trace fossil running through the undulating concentric darker lines of its bands. The back of the rock has distinctly different, evenly-spaced concentric circle markings. Photographing the top of the stone reveals how precisely the sculptor composed this bannerstone, creating a raised narrow edge perfectly centered between the distinctly different geologic features of each side. A few millimeters out from the perforation, the sculptor flattened out the top of the bannerstone adding yet another unique dimension to the finished surface. Looking at the stone through the lens of the camera helped me to see details such as these that I otherwise might have missed. Further highlighting the symmetry of the composition, the sculptor carved a 2mm ridge that runs through the white trace fossil on the front side.