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Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: UNIDENTIFIED ALASKAN ARTIST, Probably WESTERN ALASKA, Snuff Box with Seal Head Finial, late 19th century
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: UNIDENTIFIED ALASKAN ARTIST, Probably WESTERN ALASKA, Snuff Box with Seal Head Finial, late 19th century
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: UNIDENTIFIED ALASKAN ARTIST, Probably WESTERN ALASKA, Snuff Box with Seal Head Finial, late 19th century
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: UNIDENTIFIED ALASKAN ARTIST, Probably WESTERN ALASKA, Snuff Box with Seal Head Finial, late 19th century
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: UNIDENTIFIED ALASKAN ARTIST, Probably WESTERN ALASKA, Snuff Box with Seal Head Finial, late 19th century

UNIDENTIFIED ALASKAN ARTIST, Probably WESTERN ALASKA

Snuff Box with Seal Head Finial, late 19th century
ivory, wood, and black inlay, 3.25 x 2.25 x 1.5 in (8.3 x 5.7 x 3.8 cm)
unsigned.
LOT 153
ESTIMATE: $900 — $1,200

Further images

  • (View a larger image of thumbnail 1 ) UNIDENTIFIED ALASKAN ARTIST, Probably WESTERN ALASKA, Snuff Box with Seal Head Finial, late 19th century
  • (View a larger image of thumbnail 2 ) UNIDENTIFIED ALASKAN ARTIST, Probably WESTERN ALASKA, Snuff Box with Seal Head Finial, late 19th century
  • (View a larger image of thumbnail 3 ) UNIDENTIFIED ALASKAN ARTIST, Probably WESTERN ALASKA, Snuff Box with Seal Head Finial, late 19th century
  • (View a larger image of thumbnail 4 ) UNIDENTIFIED ALASKAN ARTIST, Probably WESTERN ALASKA, Snuff Box with Seal Head Finial, late 19th century
  • (View a larger image of thumbnail 5 ) UNIDENTIFIED ALASKAN ARTIST, Probably WESTERN ALASKA, Snuff Box with Seal Head Finial, late 19th century
Small ivory and wood tobacco or snuff containers, such as the present lot, belong to a period when tobacco had become firmly established in Alaskan trade networks, moving through Russian,...
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Small ivory and wood tobacco or snuff containers, such as the present lot, belong to a period when tobacco had become firmly established in Alaskan trade networks, moving through Russian, European, and American exchanges along the coast. Made as highly personal objects, they could be both practical and playful. Here, the lid is topped by a tiny surfacing seal, its head just breaking the waterline, transforming a practical tobacco or snuff container into a compact and charming image of the surrounding marine world.


ND

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Provenance

Private Collection, Montreal;
Estate of the above.
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FIRST ARTS PREMIERS INC.  
 416-560-6348   |    info@firstarts.ca 

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The main office of First Arts Premiers Inc. is located on the ancestral and traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Huron-Wendat, the original owners and custodians of this land.  Today, it is home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.

 

 

 

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