Lot 56
POSSIBLY PAUL JONES (c. 1847-1927), SKIDEGATE, HAIDA GWAII
Totem Pole, c. 1890-1910
argillite, 9.5 x 2 x 2 in (24.1 x 5.1 x 5.1 cm)
unsigned.
Estimate: $1,500 — $2,500
Provenance
Private Collection, British Columbia.
Paul Jones hailed from Tanu Island on the east coast of Moresby Island. Drew and Wilson (p. 250) describe his style thus: "The crests have a slight uptilt, the human and animal cheeks are sunken, and mouths wide and often downturned." In this pole, composed of a beaver, raven, and eagle, the birds have distinctive feather patterns similar to a pole attributed to Jones (see Drew and Wilson, p. 252).
References: See Leslie Drew and Douglas Wilson, Argillite: Art of the Haida (North Vancouver: Hancock House, 1980), pp. 250-252. See also Marius Barbeau, Haida Carvers in Argillite (Ottawa: National Museum of Canada, 1957/1974), pp. 110-117.