UNIDENTIFIED ARTIST, HAIDA
Ceremonial Pipe, c. 1830s
argillite with metal stand, 4 x 5.25 x 1.5 in (10.2 x 13.3 x 3.8 cm)
without: 2 x 5.25 x 1 in (5.1 x 13.3 x 2.5 cm)
unsigned.
Provenance
Private Collection, British Columbia.
The ceremonial pipe form is considered to be the earliest type of Haida argillite carving. This pipe's short length, overall squat and compact shape, rustic carving style, and relatively broad width strongly suggests the ceremonial pipe type. The pipe's intertwined raven and human figure imagery as well as the almost freestanding cylindrical pipe bowl are common elements of ceremonial pipes as well.
References: See the section on ceremonial pipes, with photos of six examples, in Peter L. Macnair and Alan L. Hoover, The Magic Leaves: A History of Haida Argillite Carving (Victoria: Royal BC Museum, 1984/2002), pp. 23-25. See photos of ceremonial pipes with similar compact form see Leslie Drew and Douglas Wilson, Argillite: Art of the Haida (North Vancouver: Hancock House, 1980), pp. 72, 152, 160. For a similar but larger pipe see Walker's Auctions, May 2017, Lot 56.
