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Artworks
UNIDENTIFIED YUP'IK ARTIST, SOUTHWEST ALASKA
Janus-Faced Doll, probably mid-late 19th centurycentury, wood and metal inserts, 5.75 x 2 x 1.25 in (14.6 x 5.1 x 3.2 cm), measurements reflect dimensions without custom made metal stand
unsigned.
LOT 4
ESTIMATE: $1,200 — $1,800
PRICE REALIZED: $2,400.00Further images
The overall form of this doll is typical of the region, comprising a rounded head, slim neck, and a blocky upper torso. This doll’s face is sensitively carved and remarkably...The overall form of this doll is typical of the region, comprising a rounded head, slim neck, and a blocky upper torso. This doll’s face is sensitively carved and remarkably elegant. Metal inserts, rather than the more usual ivory, form the eyes. A tiny hole just below the nose suggests that a nose ring might have once been attached. One aspect of this doll is unusual, however, in that a second, more simplified and crudely rendered face is carved on the back of the head.
References: For similar works see William Fitzhugh and Susan Kaplan, Inua: spirit world of the Bering Sea Eskimo, (Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1982), fig. 191 (see fig. 190 for ivory examples). See also Dorothy Jean Ray, Aleut and Eskimo Art: Tradition and Innovation in South Alaska, (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1981), p. 189, pl. 170. See also Gilbert T. Vincent et al, Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection, (Cooperstown: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000) p. 430.Provenance
An American Private Collection;
Skinner Auctions, June 1993;
Collection of Dan and Martha Albrecht, AZ;
Walker's Auctions, November 2017, Lot 47;
A British Columbia Collection.
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