Like the Devilfish/Octopus Bowl (see Lot 19, this sale), this Beaver Bowl is the work of Tlingit artist Augustus Bean. This elegant dish shares several of Bean’s stylistic features with both the Devilfish Bowl and the Land Otter Man Bowl in the Alaska State Museum, the latter having been attributed to Bean by Erna Gunther [1]. Bean’s sculptures tended to be more figural and less blocky than works by his brother-in-law Rudolph Walton (1867-1951), and the lifelike posture and seeming alertness of this beaver is a good illustration of that quality. Furthermore, the forelegs of this beaver are very similar to the arms and feet of the Land Otter figure, with well-defined elbows, wrists, and paws. The inlaid teeth of all three dishes are very similar and speak to being by the same hand. The rim of the bowl is inlaid with alternating beads and bone squares and the eyes are inlaid with abalone.

1. For a discussion of Augustus Bean’s style, please see Zachary Jones’ 2018 doctoral dissertation, "Haa Léelk'w Hás Ji.Eetí, our Grandparents' Art: A Study of Master Tlingit Artists, 1750-1989." There is an image of the Land Otter Man Bowl on page 133 (Figure 120, Alaska State Museum II-B-1746).

Christopher W. Smith