Description:

Attributed to Jack James (1902-1980), Kwakwaka'wakw
TOTEM POLE

wood, paint
unsigned
50.5 x 13 x 11 in — 128.3 x 33 x 27.9 cm

Estimate: $7,000—9,000 CAD

Important:
This lot is located in Vancouver. Local pick up by special arrangement; shipment from Vancouver only.

  • Provenance: Private Collection, British Columbia
  • Dimensions: 50.5 x 13 x 11 in — 128.3 x 33 x 27.9 cm
  • Medium: wood, paint
  • Notes: An important Kwakwaka'wakw artist from Gwa'yasdams (Gilford Island), and father of artist Basil James (Haeklas) (1938-2005), Jack James is known to have produced only a few model totem poles over his life. [1] A Jack James pole, dated ca. 1940 is included in the Michael D. Hall and Pat Glascock’s text documenting the landmark 2010 exhibit “Carvings and Commerce: Model Totem Poles 1880–2010.”[2] A second model totem pole by James was sold at Waddingtons in our September 12th 2024 auction Art of the Northwest Coast: Tradition & Transformation, lot 2. Both James poles exhibit a closely related style and subject matter to the present example.

    Jack James said of the symbols on one of his poles “they are all ours, our own (James family). We didn’t copy anybody’s”, further explaining that “Kwankwanxwalige’ (Thunderbird) is on top of the pole. He came down from Mount Stephens, right after the flood. There was a little village there, we called it K’we. He took his Thunderbird dress off and he acted like a man. On the chest of this Thunderbird is a giant, a Dzunuk’wa (Wild Woman of the Woods)...”[3]

    [1] Michael D. Hall, Pat Glascock, Carvings and Commerce: Model Totem Poles 1880-2010, (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2011), 209.
    [2] Michael D. Hall, Pat Glascock, Carvings and Commerce: Model Totem Poles 1880-2010, (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2011), 128, pl. 107.
    [3] The Gwa’yasdams Flood Story, Duncan.ca, Accessed 27 Aug 2024, https://duncan.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/CoD_Totem_17_The-Gwayasdams-Flood-Story.pdf
  • Condition: Please contact the specialist for further condition information.

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29 May 2025 19:00 EDT
Toronto, ON, CA

Waddington's

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Buyer's Premium
$0 - $25,000:
25.00%
$25,001+:
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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
CA$0 CA$199 CA$10
CA$200 CA$499 CA$20
CA$500 CA$999 CA$50
CA$1,000 CA$1,999 CA$100
CA$2,000 CA$4,999 CA$200
CA$5,000 CA$9,999 CA$500
CA$10,000 CA$19,999 CA$1,000
CA$20,000 CA$49,999 CA$2,000
CA$50,000 CA$99,999 CA$5,000
CA$100,000 CA$299,999 CA$10,000
CA$300,000 CA$999,999 CA$25,000
CA$1,000,000 CA$1,999,999 CA$50,000
CA$2,000,000 CA$2,999,999 CA$100,000
CA$3,000,000 CA$4,999,999 CA$200,000
CA$5,000,000 + CA$300,000