Description:

Unidentified Artist, Likely Heiltsuk (Bella Bella) or Nuxalk (Bella Coola)
PORTRAIT MASK, CA. 1900

inscribed in pencil verso "Klinkett"

Estimate: $8,000—10,000 CAD

  • Provenance: Private Collection, Tennessee, USA
    Private Collection, Toronto, ON
  • Dimensions: 15 x 11.75 x 4 in — 38.1 x 29.8 x 10.2 cm
  • Medium: wood, paint
  • Notes: Mask making and other elaborate sculptural carving has a long tradition on the Northwest Coast. The vast majority of surviving masks date to the 19th century, a period in which European and Euro-American collecting occurred in ever increasing intensity, however the tradition of ritual and ceremonial mask making was well established by the time of European’s first arrival on the Coast in the 18th century.

    Historic Northwest coast carving was remarkably expansive and inclusive in its subject matter, and innovative artists produced unique masks for trade with Europeans. Carvers quickly integrated the exotic objects and imagery which had newly arrived on the coast. Perhaps, most jarring to modern expectations are works such as a sculpture of an Egyptian Sphinx made by the Haida artist Simeon Silthda, circa 1870s, now held in the British Museum.[1] Silthda and others also created a handful of portrait masks which integrated European and other characteristics with Coastal traditions.

    The present mask, likely the work of a Heiltsuk (Bella Bella) or Nuxalk (Bella Coola) artist, features the flattened wooden surround, and irregular painted decoration found on some masks from the central Northwest Coast region. Although the profile of the surround, likely once round, has been trimmed to a peak and partially excavated on the back side, subsequent to its original manufacture.

    The face of the mask itself is evocative of Northern portrait masks, which sometimes included elaborate and highly stylized European-like coiffures, and bulbous protruding chins. The slender European-like aspect of the face is unusual in Coastal art, and may reinforce the possibility of a European portrait.

    The present mask is reputed to have been collected circa 1940s in the Pacific Northwest by a U.S. Navy serviceman and world traveller Charles Reeder.

    [1] British Museum, Cat. No. BM Am1896,-.1202. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Am1896-1202

    Related works:

    Bonhams, San Francisco, CA Native American and Pre-Columbian Art from the Phillip Brown Collection of Northwest Art, 4 Jun 2007, lot 4108
    https://www.bonhams.com/auction/15287/lot/4108/a-northwest-coast-mask/
    Museum of Anthropology, Cat. No. MOA A1797. http://collection-online.moa.ubc.ca/search/item?keywords=a1797&row=0
  • Condition: Please contact the specialist for further condition information.

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December 5, 2024 2:00 PM EST
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
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