Lot 16
UNIDENTIFIED ARTIST, HAIDA,
Haida Chief Holding a Copper, c. 1890

argillite, 11 x 3.5 x 2.75 in (27.9 x 8.9 x 7 cm)

Provenance
A British Columbia Private Collection.

This standing chief or clan leader image wears a spruce root woven hat topped with two skils, or hat rings, symbols of high status in Haida culture. Dressed in a robe or robes with narrow raised borders, in his hands he holds a ‘copper,’ a shield-like object made of hammered copper sheet that represents a great deal of wealth in many Northwest Coast cultures. A two-dimensional design that appears to be a bear is engraved on the face of the copper, just below which is the ever-present raised T-ridge that is said to be the ‘backbone’ of the copper.

The face of the man is carved in the style of a Haida mask, with straight, neatly combed hair surrounding the head. The mouth has full lips framed by a slim moustache and goatee. The shape of the lips suggests that the man is speaking, perhaps reciting the history and value attached to the copper he is holding.

Steven C. Brown

This extraordinarily elegant figure has few parallels in Haida argillite art. Single Haida figural subjects carved in argillite date mostly to the post-1880 Haida revival period, and most of these depict shamans in full regalia; furthermore the style of the carving is generally quite different. Going further back (c. 1840-60s) are the fascinating and often quite elegant depictions of mostly European figures, usually uniformed military officers and sea captains, and occasional female figures. Male physiques are exaggeratedly slim, with long legs, small hands and narrow facial features. The female figures wear clothing with carefully delineated folds, pleats, and decorative details, and their hair is often beautifully combed and plaited.

Haida Chief Holding a Copper resembles these latter figures in some ways, perhaps not stylistically but in terms of workmanship. It is interesting to point out specific examples. First is a female figure in the Reif Collection at the Royal B.C. Museum (Macnair and Hoover, 2002:58, fig. 69); see also Female Figure Holding Two Dolls in the First Arts Auction (July 2020, Lot 51). Haida Chief Holding a Copper shares a similar format, finesse, and even mood with these figures, though it probably doesn’t date from that period. But as was noted above, the facial features of this male figure do bear a strong resemblance with those of a number of fine late 19th century Haida masks, many of which date to the 1880s (see Robin K. Wright, 2001:291). We believe the work was carved by an incredibly skilled and talented artist, perhaps one who normally specialized in carving masks.

References

For a similarly styled argillite Euro-American figure see Peter L. Macnair and Alan J. Hoover, The Magic Leaves: A History of Haida Argillite Carving (Victoria: Royal BC Museum, 1984/2002), fig. 69; see the section on Euro-American figures pp. 56-60; see the section on Haida figures pp. 101-105. For Haida masks with similar features see Robin K. Wright, Northern Haida Master Carvers (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2001), p. 291. For more argillite figures see Leslie Drew and Douglas Wilson, Argillite: Art of the Haida (Vancouver: Hancock House, 1980), pp.188-199.