Sanford Williams is a Nuu-chah-nulth carver renowned for his complex masks. Formally trained at the Gitanmaax School of Northwest Coast Indian Art (‘Ksan) in the 1980s, Williams’ somewhat angular formline and carving reflect the lasting influence of the ‘Ksan style on his work. What distinguishes Williams’ designs from that of his contemporaries is how he incorporates compound imagery to create multiple beings or faces within a single mask, reminiscent of Yup’ik dance masks from Alaska and the transformational art of the late Ron Telek (Nisga’a, 1962–2017).

This red cedar mask is a classic example, with a painted and incised formline design on its proper right side and a large, blank oval shape with a high-relief carved human figure holding its knees on the left. The head of the small human figure serves as the larger masks’ left eye, while the right eye is rendered squinting with a deep v-cut. The highly abstracted formline design is painted in burgundy, and although the forms are difficult to interpret, there does appear to be a seal or sea lion flipper on the forehead.

CWS