Monumental Tlingit Totem

Monumetal four figure Tlingit totem. 16'8" x 28" Base. Man holding woodpecker, bear with owl above surrounded by coppers, headdress and thunderbird on top. Private commission and carved in the Tlingit workshop, Alaska, by master carvers. Later to an estate in New York where it was never installed. It would have cost a minimum of $70,000 to carve another with a wait period of 5-10 years. An exceptional piece. In 2023, the owner of Alaska Indian Arts, Lee Heinmiller, and this is what he said: "We carved it for David Marshal of New York. He worked for Goldman Sachs... but had property in upstate New York... The figures were the animals on his land: fox and bobcat on the tinaas [copper shields], eagle, black bear, and woodpecker on the talking stick. " The carvers were "[John] Hagen [Athabascan/adopted Tlingit], Charlie [Jimmie] [Tlingit 1932-2016], Greg Horner [non-Indigenous/adopted Tlingit],and [Lee Heinmiller, non-Indigenous/adopted Tlingit]." Lee also said he "Still has the file and photos, can check details if needed."