In their book The Magic Leaves: A History of Haida Argillite Carving (1984; 2002), Peter L. Macnair and Alan Hoover identify Haida ship panel pipes in argillite as first appearing around 1841 (21). Fascinating hybrid objects that often blend Euro-American architectural and ship elements, Western motifs, and Haida-style human faces and totemic figures, these objects are an early form of made-for-sale argillite carving that has largely settled into permanent public collections. Macnair and Hoover describe this type of argillite pipe as “usually [incorporating] a billet-head, less often a figurehead, [that] may include parts of the ship’s superstructure, gear, and rigging, and often depict Euro-Americans engaged in a variety of nautical activities” (39).

This argillite Ship Panel Pipe is a fine and early example of the form, reflecting many of the traits that Macnair and Hoover listed. The billet head, to the left when faced, is depicted with swirl, leaf, floral, and berry motifs. The ornate trail board, under the figures to the left, is decorated with semicircles, crosshatching, and a carved rope border, which may represent rigging on the ship. In the centre is a chimney, where the pipe bowl is located, with a rosette that may represent a mechanical component of the ship. All of these elements are mirrored on the front and back of the pipe. There are four figures depicted: two Euro-American men and two women who may be Haida. The first man, to the right of the billet-head, is wearing a frock coat with trousers and boots and has his hand on the back of the woman next to him. She is depicted in a ruffled gown and one long, loose braid. On the other side of the chimney is another Euro-American man who is straddling the pipe. He is facing away and is wearing what appears to be an officer’s uniform. He is reaching out and grasping the wrist of a woman who has leaned over onto the stern of the ship, her head resting on her hand. She is clad in a fine dress with her hair pulled back into a single braid. The details of the clothing and hairstyles on these figures are nothing short of exceptional.

Please note: There is an old, nineteenth-century silver fill repair on this pipe which we have left in place. See Pipes That Won’t Smoke; Coal That Won’t Burn: Haida Sculpture in Argillite (1981) by Carol Sheehan for more information on nineteenth-century silver fill repairs.

CWS