Description:

Mungo Martin (1879-1962), Kwakwaka'wakw
GRIZZLY BEAR FRONTLET, CA. 1930

wood, paint, brass, tin
inscribed verso in pencil " Kwakiutl emblem / Grizzly Bear"; incised inventory number reads "709 945 232 / 465"
7.75 x 6.75 x 3.75 in — 19.7 x 17.1 x 9.5 cm

Estimate: $5,000—6,000 CAD

  • Provenance: Collection Dr. Joseph T. Mandy
    Seahawk Auctions, Burnaby, BC, 20 Nov 2016, Lot 188
    A Prominent Vancouver Collection, BC
  • Dimensions: 7.75 x 6.75 x 3.75 in — 19.7 x 17.1 x 9.5 cm
  • Medium: wood, paint, brass, tin
  • Notes: The stepson and apprentice of important Kwakwaka'wakw carver Charlie James (Yakudlas) and uncle of Ellen Neel, Martin was active during the potlatch ban period, his life spanning an era of decline, change, and revitalization in Coast art and teachings.

    Martin’s contributions are widely acknowledged to have had a direct and profound influence on a generation of Northwest Coast carvers, and students of Kwakwaka'wakw culture, including Henry and Tony Hunt, Bill Reid, Douglas Cranmer, and anthropologists Marius Barbeau, and Wilson Duff among others.

    Often remembered for hosting the Wawadit'la opening ceremonies, the first public Potlatch since the government's lifting of the 1889 potlatch ban in 1951, Martin is equally celebrated for his art.

    This frontlet features a representation of a grizzly bear embellished with the figure of a small man on its chest. The absence of rigging to wear the frontlet hints at its use for non-ritual purposes.

    Gerald R. McMaster, “Mungo Martin”, The Canadian Encyclopedia, October 1 2007. https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/mungo-martin#:~:text=Mungo%20Martin%20was%20a%20Kwakwaka,end%20of%20the%20Potlatch%20Ban
    Ronald W. Hawker, Yakuglas' Legacy: The Art and Times of Charlie James (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2016)
  • Condition: Condition commensurate with age.
    Please contact the specialist for further condition information.

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September 11, 2025 3:00 PM EDT
Toronto, ON, CA

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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
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CA$20,000 CA$49,999 CA$2,000
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CA$1,000,000 CA$1,999,999 CA$50,000
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CA$3,000,000 CA$4,999,999 CA$200,000
CA$5,000,000 + CA$300,000