ROBERT TAIT (1953-2018) NISGA'A
Portrait Mask, mid 1980s
alderwood and paint, 9.25 x 7.25 x 4,25 in (23.5 x 18.4 x 10.2 cm)
signed, "R. Tait".

Provenance
Private Collection, Ontario;
by descent in the family.

Crafted by Norman Tait, a Nisga’a scholar and artist, this mask is a masterful embodiment of balance—a symphony of symmetry and asymmetry. Black lines sharply define the contours, tracing the traditional Nisga’a sculptural forms of rounded swells. Accents of red act not just as brilliant additions of pure colour but as a visual anchor, compelling the gaze, while the traditional motifs of ovoids and U-forms waltz across the wood surface. A hand, meticulously painted on the proper right cheek, extends five delicate digits—its thumb's curve echoing the mask's contours.