UNIDENTIFIED NUU-CHAH-NULTH ARTIST
Two Model Totem Poles, c. 1930s / 1940s
each wood and acrylic paint, the first, 6.25 x 5.5 x 2.25 in (15.9 x 14 x 5.7 cm) / the second: 6 x 5.5 x 1.75 in (15.2 x 14 x 4.4 cm), each unsigned; each with blank ink stamp, "GENUINE / INDIAN MADE";
LOT 85
ESTIMATE: $80 — $120
ESTIMATE: $80 — $120
The present two poles both depict Thunderbirds with outstretched wings above seated Bear figures. The wings of the Thunderbirds feature animal faces painted in profile at their tips, most likely...
The present two poles both depict Thunderbirds with outstretched wings above seated Bear figures. The wings of the Thunderbirds feature animal faces painted in profile at their tips, most likely referencing Lightning Serpents or Sisiutl. The pole on the right is mounted on a square cedar base. Both works were carved in the 1930s or 1940s by different Nuu-chah-nulth artists from western Vancouver Island. Produced for the curio trade, they were destined for tourist shops in cities such as Seattle, Victoria, or Vancouver. Nuu-chah-nulth carvers were among the most prolific makers of model poles, continuing a tradition established along the Northwest Coast since the nineteenth century.
Provenance
Private Collection, Seattle / Vancouver.Join Our Mailing List
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