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Artworks
UNIDENTIFIED ARTIST, HAIDA, PROBABLY MASSET
Model Totem Pole, c. 1890argillite, 13.5 x 3.25 x 2.75 in (34.3 x 8.3 x 7 cm)
unsigned.
LOT 59
ESTIMATE: $5,000 — $8,000Further images
This fairly large and very fine model pole, with its concave back, dates from well before 1900 - probably c. 1890. While as yet unattributed, the pole has a clarity...This fairly large and very fine model pole, with its concave back, dates from well before 1900 - probably c. 1890. While as yet unattributed, the pole has a clarity and confidence that suggests it was carved by a master. While probably not by the hand of Charles Edenshaw, quite likely it is influenced by his style. The pole depicts (from the top): the figure of a chief; a double-finned killer whale; and a bear.
Literature: For a discussion of model totems of this period see Peter L. Macnair and Alan J. Hoover, The Magic Leaves: A History of Haida Argillite Carving (Victoria: Royal BC Museum, 1984/2002), pp. 77-89.
Provenance
Private Collection, Montreal.