Description:

Unidentified Haida Artist
PANEL PIPE, FOURTH QUARTER 19TH CENTURY

argillite
3.25 x 10.75 x .5 in — 8.3 x 27.3 x 1.3 cm

Estimate: $9,000—12,000 CAD

  • Provenance: By repute Collection of John Linton Palmer (1824-1903)
    by descent to the previous owner, London, UK
    Private Collection, Ontario
  • Dimensions: 3.25 x 10.75 x .5 in — 8.3 x 27.3 x 1.3 cm
  • Medium: argillite
  • Notes: So-called panel pipes were made for trade and sale, but never for smoking. They were carved from argillite, a carbonaceous shale that was historically the property of a sole Haida Skidegate Eagle clan. The unique and beautiful material was favoured early on by Euro-American seamen, traders, missionaries, and anthropologists looking for mementos of the exotic Coast. The genre of panel pipe carving has gone on to attract some of the greatest Haida artists of the past two centuries.

    The present example is alleged to have passed by descent through the family of Royal Navy Surgeon and important amateur anthropologist, and painter John Linton Palmer (1824-1903).

    Palmer participated in several significant British naval expeditions in the Pacific in the mid-19th century, both painting and collecting anthropological and Natural History specimens in-situ. His early travels included visits to Vancouver in 1851, and later Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in 1852 aboard the HMS Portland, and again in 1868 aboard the naval frigate HMS Topaze.

    Although Palmer’s extensive documentation of his travels and findings are not currently published, his collections are held in the British Museum, and his archive of paintings is preserved at the Royal Geographical Society, where many illustrate objects collected on his voyages.

    Royal Geographical Society, “John Linton Palmer's Rapa Nui Album”, https://www.rgs.org/our-collections/stories-from-our-collections/explore-our-collections/john-linton-palmer-rapa-nui-album
    “John Linton Palmer”, The British Museum online collection note. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG126950
  • Condition: Old repairs to breaks.
    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

Waddington's

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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