image statuette
Wooden figure of a male, squatting, face painted

This is one of a pair of carved wooden figures from the NW coast of North America, probably made in the mid-19th century. They may have been carved for a collector or trader, but they apparently are accurate depictions of native people of the time and are of high quality, unlike carvings produced at alater period. The carved figures are of a man and a woman with a baby. The man is squatting with his hands on his chest, and the genitals are proinent. The figure has been incised with dots and grooves to represent long hair parted in the centre and also with cicatrices on the cheeks. Red and black paint have been used on the face to show the features and tatooed or painted designs on the face. The seated woman has plaits, depicted by incised lines and also wears a skirt. She is about to breastfeed the baby lying on her knees. The figures

Early: 1850 Late: 1912

H: 387 mm

Kwakwaka'wakw Koskimo

wood pigment

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