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The majority of these masks and other objects were collected between 1880 and 1900, and all share a variety of consistent characteristics that identify their connection to a single artist. (c.f. Macnair, Hoover and Neary p.71, Royal British Columbia Museum (10665)) The eyes are realistically scaled, (smaller tham most Haida work), and the softly-curved hollowing around them accents an upper-eyelid bulge to the orbs of the eyes. The unconstricted eyelids appear wide open, unless they are deliberately depicting a closed state, and are usually outlined by a thin black rim. The noses are narrow and the nostril passages are unpierced, with their sides delineated by a non-flaring, curved rimline. The cheeks are full and naturalistically rounded. The lips are relatively thin, round, and merge fairly realistically with the cheeks. The chins are somewhat protruding, and are also modeled in a very portrait-like fashion. The ears stand out prominently and taper from rounded upper curves down to thin, narrow lobes rather quickly (Holm 1981, p.180).
This portrait mask is a clear example of the Stilthda style of work and represents a singing, (or merely surprised-looking) Native man with a neatly-combed, probably Victorian-inspired haircut. The red paintings over his eyes and forehead appear typical of traditional Haida face-paint designs, once very commonly used to designate clan and family affiliations during ceremonial performances (see Swanton 1905, p. XX, pl. XX), and unlikely to be worn by a non-Native person. To further animate the masterfully alert expression, the eyes are made to pivot from side to side, as if the person was surveying the area, which might metaphorically refer to the specific identity o fthe individual represented. (From the Catalog of the Thaw Collection of American Indian Art, 2nd ed.)
Provenance Sotheby's, New York City, 15 November 1985, lot 220; John Livingston, Victoria, British Columbia; Flury and Company, Seattle, Washington
BibliographySotheby's. Sale [TK], 15 November 1985, lot 220, property of various owners.
Wright, Robin K. "Two Haida Artists from Yan: Will John Gwaytihl and Simeon Stilthda Please Step Apart?" American Indian Art Magazine. Vol. 23, No.3 (Summer 1998): 57.
Vincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.352.
Wright, Robin. Northern Haida Master Carvers. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2001, p.356.
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. 382.
Attributed to
Simeon Stilthda
(died 1889, Haida)
Mask
Datec. 1880
DimensionsOverall: 9 1/4 × 6 7/8 × 4 in. (23.5 × 17.5 × 10.2 cm)
Object numberT0188
Credit LineGift of Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw
Photograph by John Bigelow Taylor, NYC
Label TextA carver of headdress frontlets, rattles, model totem poles, model figures such as shaman's burials, and sensitive, refined portrait masks with moving parts, the maker of this highly naturalistic mask left behind a prolific and outstanding record of his work. Preliminary study (Holm 1981, pp. 178-181) attributed this body of work to a Haida carver of the late 19th century named K'wai'ehl, "He-Became-the-Eldest," as recorded by J.R. Swanton (1909, p. 271). Known by the English name Charles Gwaytihl (d. 1912), this Masset carver has in recent years been widely identified with this outstanding group of carvings. Subsequent recent research, however, has indicated that the connection of Gwaytihl with this sculptural style was incorrect. The British Museum collections include the wooden portrayal of a sphinx, skillfully carved in Northwest Coast style (96.1202). This unusual sculpture, the original purpose of which is entirely unknown, is nonetheless solidly documented to a Haida carver named Simeon Stilthda (Holm 1989--letter to E.V. Thaw). The humanoid face of the sphinx is rendered in the same individual carving style as the many masks and images formerly connected to Charles Gwaytihl. Related masks in the American Museum of Natural History, which are documented to Gwaytihl, differ in subtle but important ways from the group of objects now understood to be the work of Simeon Stilthda.The majority of these masks and other objects were collected between 1880 and 1900, and all share a variety of consistent characteristics that identify their connection to a single artist. (c.f. Macnair, Hoover and Neary p.71, Royal British Columbia Museum (10665)) The eyes are realistically scaled, (smaller tham most Haida work), and the softly-curved hollowing around them accents an upper-eyelid bulge to the orbs of the eyes. The unconstricted eyelids appear wide open, unless they are deliberately depicting a closed state, and are usually outlined by a thin black rim. The noses are narrow and the nostril passages are unpierced, with their sides delineated by a non-flaring, curved rimline. The cheeks are full and naturalistically rounded. The lips are relatively thin, round, and merge fairly realistically with the cheeks. The chins are somewhat protruding, and are also modeled in a very portrait-like fashion. The ears stand out prominently and taper from rounded upper curves down to thin, narrow lobes rather quickly (Holm 1981, p.180).
This portrait mask is a clear example of the Stilthda style of work and represents a singing, (or merely surprised-looking) Native man with a neatly-combed, probably Victorian-inspired haircut. The red paintings over his eyes and forehead appear typical of traditional Haida face-paint designs, once very commonly used to designate clan and family affiliations during ceremonial performances (see Swanton 1905, p. XX, pl. XX), and unlikely to be worn by a non-Native person. To further animate the masterfully alert expression, the eyes are made to pivot from side to side, as if the person was surveying the area, which might metaphorically refer to the specific identity o fthe individual represented. (From the Catalog of the Thaw Collection of American Indian Art, 2nd ed.)
Provenance Sotheby's, New York City, 15 November 1985, lot 220; John Livingston, Victoria, British Columbia; Flury and Company, Seattle, Washington
BibliographySotheby's. Sale [TK], 15 November 1985, lot 220, property of various owners.
Wright, Robin K. "Two Haida Artists from Yan: Will John Gwaytihl and Simeon Stilthda Please Step Apart?" American Indian Art Magazine. Vol. 23, No.3 (Summer 1998): 57.
Vincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.352.
Wright, Robin. Northern Haida Master Carvers. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2001, p.356.
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. 382.
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