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Artworks
UNIDENTIFIED COAST SALISH ARTIST
Bark or Mat Creaser, c. 2000swood and pigment, 4 x 7.25 x 1 in (10.2 x 18.4 x 2.5 cm)
inscribed indistinctly with [artist's?] initials, [S M?]]LOT 53
ESTIMATE: $200 — $300
PRICE REALIZED: $195.20
24 September 2026Further images
Bark creasers or mat creasers, are essential tools in the making of large cattail or tule mats. As the long leaves are stitched together, the creaser is pressed firmly along...Bark creasers or mat creasers, are essential tools in the making of large cattail or tule mats. As the long leaves are stitched together, the creaser is pressed firmly along the mat needle, folding and compacting the fibres around each line of cord. This strengthens the join, protects the leaves from splitting, and helps create the dense, durable mats used for sleeping, flooring, canoe travel, insulation, partitions, and temporary shelter.Practical as they are, these tools often become works of sculpture. Here, two long-bodied birds stretch across the creaser, their heads rising at either end as though calling past one another. Projecting beaks, sharply cut eyes, and black-painted details give each bird a vivid presence, while the circular motif at the centre anchors the composition. The two figures balance one another without simply repeating: their differing heads, gestures, and expressions keep the carving animated and slightly unpredictable.
Provenance
An Important Private Collection, Camano Island, WA;
by descent in the family to present Private Collection.
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