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    Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: UNIDENTIFIED ARTIST, POSSIBLY NORTHWEST COAST*, Model Thunderbird Totem Pole (William Webber Scenery Shop Model Totem), c. 1930/40 or later
    Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: UNIDENTIFIED ARTIST, POSSIBLY NORTHWEST COAST*, Model Thunderbird Totem Pole (William Webber Scenery Shop Model Totem), c. 1930/40 or later
    Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: UNIDENTIFIED ARTIST, POSSIBLY NORTHWEST COAST*, Model Thunderbird Totem Pole (William Webber Scenery Shop Model Totem), c. 1930/40 or later
    Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: UNIDENTIFIED ARTIST, POSSIBLY NORTHWEST COAST*, Model Thunderbird Totem Pole (William Webber Scenery Shop Model Totem), c. 1930/40 or later
    Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: UNIDENTIFIED ARTIST, POSSIBLY NORTHWEST COAST*, Model Thunderbird Totem Pole (William Webber Scenery Shop Model Totem), c. 1930/40 or later
    Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: UNIDENTIFIED ARTIST, POSSIBLY NORTHWEST COAST*, Model Thunderbird Totem Pole (William Webber Scenery Shop Model Totem), c. 1930/40 or later
    Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: UNIDENTIFIED ARTIST, POSSIBLY NORTHWEST COAST*, Model Thunderbird Totem Pole (William Webber Scenery Shop Model Totem), c. 1930/40 or later
    Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: UNIDENTIFIED ARTIST, POSSIBLY NORTHWEST COAST*, Model Thunderbird Totem Pole (William Webber Scenery Shop Model Totem), c. 1930/40 or later

    UNIDENTIFIED ARTIST, POSSIBLY NORTHWEST COAST*

    Model Thunderbird Totem Pole (William Webber Scenery Shop Model Totem), c. 1930/40 or later
    cedar and pigment, 7.5 x 6 x 1.75 in (19.1 x 15.2 x 4.4 cm)
    unsigned;
    with affixed typeset paper clipping, "THE / THUNDER BIRD / TOTEM / This totem is a copy / of the pole standing / in Stanley Park, Van- / couver, which origin- / ally belonged to the / Kwakiutl or Nimikish - Indian o Alert Bay,";
    inscribed in graphite in an unknown hand, "[$] 2.00".
    LOT 17
    ESTIMATE: $250 — $350
    PRICE REALIZED: $240.00

    Further images

    • (View a larger image of thumbnail 1 ) UNIDENTIFIED NAVAJO ARTIST, Powder or Tobacco Flask, c. 1960
    • (View a larger image of thumbnail 2 ) UNIDENTIFIED NAVAJO ARTIST, Powder or Tobacco Flask, c. 1960
    • (View a larger image of thumbnail 3 ) UNIDENTIFIED NAVAJO ARTIST, Powder or Tobacco Flask, c. 1960
    • (View a larger image of thumbnail 4 ) UNIDENTIFIED NAVAJO ARTIST, Powder or Tobacco Flask, c. 1960
    • (View a larger image of thumbnail 5 ) UNIDENTIFIED NAVAJO ARTIST, Powder or Tobacco Flask, c. 1960
    • (View a larger image of thumbnail 6 ) UNIDENTIFIED NAVAJO ARTIST, Powder or Tobacco Flask, c. 1960
    • (View a larger image of thumbnail 7 ) UNIDENTIFIED NAVAJO ARTIST, Powder or Tobacco Flask, c. 1960
    • (View a larger image of thumbnail 8 ) UNIDENTIFIED NAVAJO ARTIST, Powder or Tobacco Flask, c. 1960
    William Webber was an early Vancouver, BC, art dealer who owned The Thunderbird/Scenery Shop on Granville Street from 1923 to 1952, during which time he sold pieces by prominent First...
    Read more

    William Webber was an early Vancouver, BC, art dealer who owned The Thunderbird/Scenery Shop on Granville Street from 1923 to 1952, during which time he sold pieces by prominent First Nations artists such as Freddie Alexcee and Charlie James. Webber’s art collection and his archives are housed in the Museum of Vancouver, which includes dozens of model totem poles and a large quantity of paper ephemera. This model pole is a faithful rendering of the Thunderbird Totems of Stanley Park in Vancouver, originally by Kwakwaka’wakw artist Charlie James. There is a Scenery Shop/The Thunderbird sticker attached on the bottom of the base and an affixed paper clipping on the back of the pole that reads: "THE THUNDER BIRD TOTEM / This totem is a copy of the pole standing in Stanley Park, Vancouver, which originally belonged to the Kwakiutl or Nimikish Indian[s] o[f] Alert Bay." 


    There is some debate as to the origin of these poles as some have speculated that they are local Coast Salish interpretations of the Kwakwaka’wakw poles, while others believe that may be early Japanese imports. Either way, the association with Webber and his historic curio shop make these poles desirable to collectors.


    — Christopher W. Smith
    Close full details

    Provenance

    With the Thunder Bird Shop, their label affixed to the underside;
    Private Collection, Calgary.
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FIRST ARTS PREMIERS INC.  
Nadine Di Monte   |    647-286-5012   |    info@firstarts.ca 

Ingo Hessel  |    613-818-2100   |    ingo@firstarts.ca

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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