Lot 11
Unidentified Nuu-chah-nulth Artist
Lot 11 Details
Unidentified Nuu-chah-nulth Artist
MODEL TOTEM POLE
wood, paint
unsigned; old newspaper clipping by the Hudson Bay Fur Company titled "Totem Poles" adhered verso; old collector's tag inscribed "Turn of century Nootka totem, sold by Hudson Bay Fur Company / Seattle Washington"
36.25 x 6.25 x 4.5 in — 92.1 x 15.9 x 11.4 cm
Estimate $2,000-$4,000
Additional Images
Provenance:
Husdon Bay Fur Company, Inc., Seattle, WA
Private Collection, New York, USA
Note:
The present lot is one of six model totem poles in the current auction from an important upstate New York collection. Poles in this collection are united by their rarity, large scale, age, and original unrestored surfaces.
The collection was acquired privately from collectors and dealers over thirty years of focused pursuit. Acquisitions were driven by a passion for hand made objects and their connection to the land, a life-long interest in First Nations traditions, and meaningful ties of friendship and family the collector has with Canada. The six exceptional model totem poles in the collection represent a meaningful cross-section of the golden age of wooden model totem pole carving in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.