A large argillite eagle feast dish by the renowned Haida argillite carver, Rufus Moody. He was a member of the Moody family of multigenerational argillite carvers who, along with his father and grandfather, “have probably contributed a greater volume of argillite than any three generations in a single family.” [1] He was also the uncle of contemporary Haida carver Garner Moody. Rufus Moody was awarded the Order of Canada in 1976. This feast bowl is in the form of an eagle on its back, with the wings forming the sides of the dish and the eagle’s talons carved in low relief on the rim, opposite the head. It’s a good example of Moody’s argillite carving style in that it combines bold Haida sculptural forms with finely incised lines that delineate feathers and other details. The dish also features abalone inlays in the eyes and around the rim of the bowl. Moody’s pieces are found in several prominent public collections, including the Museum of Anthropology at UBC and the Museum of Vancouver.

1. Leslie Drew and Douglas Wilson, Argillite: Art of the Haida (North Vancouver, B.C.: Hancock House, 1980), p. 254.

Christopher W. Smith