Skip to main content
The delineation of the eyebrows and the clean, shallow cutting of the ear and eyelid designs are the work of a master artist. A small hole has been pierced through the eyes for the wearer's vision, and a strip of trade copper has been tacked along the beak to embellish the lips. The upper and lower mandibles are separate pieces, the upper jaw tenoned into a triangular mortise cut through the mask. The lower jaw is made to move on a complex hinge construction, and pivots on a peg fit through the cheeks. It appears to be rigged so that the performer's jaw movements can cause the raven's mouth to open and shut expressively. A thin, fine tongue has been fastened loosely to the lower jaw, allowing it to move independently.
The classic formline U-shape construction of the ears and the sharply-defined ovoid eyesocket structure suggest Haida manufacture, most likely from the northern Haida Gwaii (Masset area), or among the Kaigani Haida villages of Southeast Alaska. The wide open shape of the eyelid and the way in which the eyesocket's lower edge is even with the upper lip both suggest Tlingit influence, not uncommon in northern Haida work. Southern Haida totem poles and structurally related, stylized masks such as this are more likely to feature a separate cheek plane between the eyesocket and upper lip line.
Articulated masks were generally less common in the northern regions than among the mid-coastal or Vancouver Island peoples. Accompanied by the skilled movements of a talented dancer or performer, these mechanical masks are able to convey an extremely lifelike portrayal of real and imaginary beings. The well-handled and polished surface of this early mask underscores its long history of use as a much-treasured family or clan heirloom. (From the Catalog of the Thaw Collection of American Indian Art, 2nd ed.)
Exhibition History"Art Des Indiens D'Amerique Du Nord Dans La Collection D'Eugene Thaw," Mona Bismarck Foundation, Paris, France, Somogy Editions D'Art, January 21, 2000 - March 18, 2000.
"Treasures from the Thaw Collection," Wheelwright Museum of American Indian Art. Santa Fe, NM, May 1, 2000 - December 31, 2000.
"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.
"American Indian Art from the Fenimore Art Museum: The Thaw Collection," The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, May 9, 2017 - October 8, 2017.
"American Indian Art from the Fenimore Art Museum: The Thaw Collection," Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, Utica, NY, October 13, 2018 - December 31, 2018.
"American Indian Art from the Fenimore Art Museum: The Thaw Collection," Mitchell Gallery, St John's College, Annapolis, MD, February 28, 2020 - April 26, 2020.
ProvenancePrivate collection, Stockbridge, Massachusetts; William Channing, Santa Fe, New Mexico; George Terasaki, New York City
BibliographyAdvertisement for George Terasaki. American Indian Art Magazine, Vol. 12, No.1, (Winter 1986): 1.
Johnson, Harmer. Guide to the Arts of the Americas. New York: Rizzoli, 1992, p.217, fig. B.
Vincent, Gilbert T. Masterpieces of American Indian Art. New York: Harry Abrams, 1995, p.78.
Zimmerman, Larry J. Native North America. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1996, p. 123.
Perriot, Francoise, and Slim Batteux, trans. Arts des Indiens d'Amerique du Nord: Dans la Collection d'Eugene et Clare Thaw. Paris, Somogy edition d'Art, 1999, p. 122, fig. 97.
Vincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.339.
Brown, Steven C. Transfigurations: North Pacific Coast Art George Terasaki Collector. Seattle: Marquand Books, 2006, plate 78.
Murdock, Michelle, ed. 50 at 20: Masterpieces of American Indian Art from the Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, NY: Fenimore Art Museum, 2015, p. 26.
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. 363.
Culture
Haida
Possibly
Southern Tlingit
Mask
Date1810-1850
DimensionsOverall: 13 × 9 × 18 1/4 in. (33 × 22.9 × 46.4 cm)
Object numberT0185
Credit LineLoan from the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust
Photograph by Richard Walker
Label TextTlingit and Haida societies are each aligned as two opposite halves, called moieties. The two sides are Eagle (or Wolf) and Raven, both composed of numerous clan subdivisions that each own the rights to display certain crest emblems that refer to their historic relationships with human and animal ancestors. This very finely made and finished early mask most likely represents Raven, indicated by the black color and the particular shapes of the upper and lower mandibles. There are numerous other birds which figure in the emblems of various clans; Thunderbirds, eagles, and mountain hawks, petrels, murrelets, mergansers, and flickers, some of which could be similarly represented.The delineation of the eyebrows and the clean, shallow cutting of the ear and eyelid designs are the work of a master artist. A small hole has been pierced through the eyes for the wearer's vision, and a strip of trade copper has been tacked along the beak to embellish the lips. The upper and lower mandibles are separate pieces, the upper jaw tenoned into a triangular mortise cut through the mask. The lower jaw is made to move on a complex hinge construction, and pivots on a peg fit through the cheeks. It appears to be rigged so that the performer's jaw movements can cause the raven's mouth to open and shut expressively. A thin, fine tongue has been fastened loosely to the lower jaw, allowing it to move independently.
The classic formline U-shape construction of the ears and the sharply-defined ovoid eyesocket structure suggest Haida manufacture, most likely from the northern Haida Gwaii (Masset area), or among the Kaigani Haida villages of Southeast Alaska. The wide open shape of the eyelid and the way in which the eyesocket's lower edge is even with the upper lip both suggest Tlingit influence, not uncommon in northern Haida work. Southern Haida totem poles and structurally related, stylized masks such as this are more likely to feature a separate cheek plane between the eyesocket and upper lip line.
Articulated masks were generally less common in the northern regions than among the mid-coastal or Vancouver Island peoples. Accompanied by the skilled movements of a talented dancer or performer, these mechanical masks are able to convey an extremely lifelike portrayal of real and imaginary beings. The well-handled and polished surface of this early mask underscores its long history of use as a much-treasured family or clan heirloom. (From the Catalog of the Thaw Collection of American Indian Art, 2nd ed.)
Exhibition History"Art Des Indiens D'Amerique Du Nord Dans La Collection D'Eugene Thaw," Mona Bismarck Foundation, Paris, France, Somogy Editions D'Art, January 21, 2000 - March 18, 2000.
"Treasures from the Thaw Collection," Wheelwright Museum of American Indian Art. Santa Fe, NM, May 1, 2000 - December 31, 2000.
"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.
"American Indian Art from the Fenimore Art Museum: The Thaw Collection," The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, May 9, 2017 - October 8, 2017.
"American Indian Art from the Fenimore Art Museum: The Thaw Collection," Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, Utica, NY, October 13, 2018 - December 31, 2018.
"American Indian Art from the Fenimore Art Museum: The Thaw Collection," Mitchell Gallery, St John's College, Annapolis, MD, February 28, 2020 - April 26, 2020.
ProvenancePrivate collection, Stockbridge, Massachusetts; William Channing, Santa Fe, New Mexico; George Terasaki, New York City
BibliographyAdvertisement for George Terasaki. American Indian Art Magazine, Vol. 12, No.1, (Winter 1986): 1.
Johnson, Harmer. Guide to the Arts of the Americas. New York: Rizzoli, 1992, p.217, fig. B.
Vincent, Gilbert T. Masterpieces of American Indian Art. New York: Harry Abrams, 1995, p.78.
Zimmerman, Larry J. Native North America. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1996, p. 123.
Perriot, Francoise, and Slim Batteux, trans. Arts des Indiens d'Amerique du Nord: Dans la Collection d'Eugene et Clare Thaw. Paris, Somogy edition d'Art, 1999, p. 122, fig. 97.
Vincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.339.
Brown, Steven C. Transfigurations: North Pacific Coast Art George Terasaki Collector. Seattle: Marquand Books, 2006, plate 78.
Murdock, Michelle, ed. 50 at 20: Masterpieces of American Indian Art from the Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, NY: Fenimore Art Museum, 2015, p. 26.
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. 363.
On View
Not on view
