Lot 22
JOHN CROSS (1867-1939) SKIDEGATE, HAIDA GWAII
Model Totem Pole, c. 1920
argillite, 12 x 3.25 x 3.75 in (30.5 x 8.3 x 9.5 cm)
unsigned.

Provenance
A Vancouver Collection.

Here a trio of primary figures is densely overlapped with subsidiary images that weave the larger creatures together. At the top is a seated eagle with folded wings, its head leaning forward as if scanning for prey. The eagle is seated on what appears to be a whale, its pectoral fins flanking the body and its tail turned up and held within its mouth. The bird’s wings and the whale’s pectoral fins feature small formline complexes that employ a large main ovoid much wider than it is tall, an identifying marker of John Cross’s style. A man’s head and arms protrude from beneath the whale, perhaps representing Gunarnasimgyet. At the bottom of the composition is an astoundingly large bear, making a meal out of a whale. The whale’s tail is draped over the bear’s feet, its body grasped by the bear’s forelegs, over which hang the pectoral fins. The whale’s head is covered by the bear’s mouth. This pole has a flat back, and is proportioned deeper than it is wide, both of which are characteristics of a later stage in argillite pole development, perhaps around 1920. A thick square base with flattened corners and chamfered edges helps to stabilize the sculpture.

Steven C. Brown

References: For an early discussion of John Cross and his work see Marius Barbeau, Haida Carvers in Argillite, (Ottawa: Department of Northern Affairs and Natural Resources / National Museum of Canada, 1957; repr. 1974), pp. 123-129. For argillite works by the artist see Michael D. Hall and Pat Glascock, Carvings and Commerce: Model Totem Poles 1880-2010, (Saskatoon: Mendel Art Gallery / Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2011), pp. 99-100. For a discussion of late argillite poles (after c. 1895) see Peter L. Macnair and Alan J. Hoover, The Magic Leaves: A History of Haida Argillite Carving, (Victoria: Royal British Columbia Museum, 1984/2002), pp. 175-188.