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Exhibition History"Art of the American Indian: The Thaw Collection," The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, March 2, 2010 - May 30, 2010; Minneapolis Museum of Art, Minneapolis, MN, October 24, 2010 - January 9, 2011; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX, April 24, 2011 - September 23, 2011; Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, IN, December 4, 2011 - February 12, 2012.
ProvenanceGeorge Terasaki, New York City
BibliographyVincent, Gilbert T. Masterpieces of American Indian Art. New York: Harry Abrams, 1995, p.84.
Vincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.290-291, 362.
Fognell, Eva and Alexander Brier Marr, eds. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection at the Fenimore Art Museum, 2nd ed. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2016, p. 398.
Culture
Coast Tsimshian or Tlingit
Forehead Mask
Date1840-1870
DimensionsOverall: 5 1/2 × 6 3/4 × 9 1/2 in. (14 × 17.1 × 24.1 cm)
Object numberT0175
Credit LineLoan from the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust
Photograph by John Bigelow Taylor, NYC
Label TextA small forehead mask of this sort may have been used as either a crest headdress on ceremonial occasions or as a dancing mask in fire lit dramatizations in the tribal houses. The back of the mask has an integral wooden extension with several drilled holes, where once were attached the wearing harness and body coverings. The eyes have large abalone inlays, and thin baleen bristles extend up and back from the rear of the head. The short, rounded ears are carved of one piece with the head, and suggest the image of a bear or a wolf. The narrow snout, thin lips and subtle ovoid definition of the eye socket convey the characteristics of Coast Tsimshian or Haisla carving style.Exhibition History"Art of the American Indian: The Thaw Collection," The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, March 2, 2010 - May 30, 2010; Minneapolis Museum of Art, Minneapolis, MN, October 24, 2010 - January 9, 2011; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX, April 24, 2011 - September 23, 2011; Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, IN, December 4, 2011 - February 12, 2012.
ProvenanceGeorge Terasaki, New York City
BibliographyVincent, Gilbert T. Masterpieces of American Indian Art. New York: Harry Abrams, 1995, p.84.
Vincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.290-291, 362.
Fognell, Eva and Alexander Brier Marr, eds. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection at the Fenimore Art Museum, 2nd ed. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2016, p. 398.
On View
Not on viewc. 1850-1859
