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ITEM NUMBER: AM0201
Raven, Sun and Sisiutl Model Totem by Jimmy Joseph
$4,500
Description
Details
Dimensions
Raven, Sun and Sisiutl model totem pole by Jimmy Joseph. Signed. 27" x 46" x 15"
Jimmy Joseph is a well-known Kwakwaka’wakw carver from Alert Bay, on Cormorant Island, in British Columbia, Canada. Joseph is a prolific maker of elaborate model totem poles, chests, and masks. His work always features deep carving and bright palettes of red, white, black, blue, and green. Joseph identifies his style as traditional and his artwork as a physical connection to his ancestors.
Joseph’s work can be found in many public and private collections, including the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture at the University of Washington in Seattle and the BC Cancer Foundation. As noted in other biographies, Joseph is a residential school survivor.
This is a very large and elaborate model totem pole. It features a Raven with the Sun on its chest over a Sisiutl, a supernatural being with two Sea Serpent heads. The pole is classic Joseph and with a lot of deep carving and v-cut trigons on the eyebrows, one of the signature formline elements he uses to break up solid paint spaces on the surface of his sculptures. The eyes are created out of concentric and internally tangent circles, giving his work an old school Kwakwaka’wakw look and intensity.
The wings of the Raven are large and pegged in individually at an angle to give the totem a dynamic look that implies movement. The bodies and heads of the Sea Serpents are also pegged into the sides of the pole, stretching the width to nearly four feet. The pegged-in components are incised with design elements that form a pair of open hands flanking the central head of the Sisiutl, ribs, and the forelegs and claws of the Sea Serpents themselves.
The bodies of the Sea Serpents are gracefully arched and cut out to indicate spines and horns, which greatly enhances the silhouette and lines of the pole. The central face of the Sisiutl has pegged in horns and extended tongue, defining features of this supernatural being. The pole is mounted on a wide, chamfered base with his signature and a list of the beings represented on the bottom. This pole features some of Joseph’s cleanest carving and v-cuts and is a very fine example of his work.
Jimmy Joseph is a well-known Kwakwaka’wakw carver from Alert Bay, on Cormorant Island, in British Columbia, Canada. Joseph is a prolific maker of elaborate model totem poles, chests, and masks. His work always features deep carving and bright palettes of red, white, black, blue, and green. Joseph identifies his style as traditional and his artwork as a physical connection to his ancestors.
Joseph’s work can be found in many public and private collections, including the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture at the University of Washington in Seattle and the BC Cancer Foundation. As noted in other biographies, Joseph is a residential school survivor.
This is a very large and elaborate model totem pole. It features a Raven with the Sun on its chest over a Sisiutl, a supernatural being with two Sea Serpent heads. The pole is classic Joseph and with a lot of deep carving and v-cut trigons on the eyebrows, one of the signature formline elements he uses to break up solid paint spaces on the surface of his sculptures. The eyes are created out of concentric and internally tangent circles, giving his work an old school Kwakwaka’wakw look and intensity.
The wings of the Raven are large and pegged in individually at an angle to give the totem a dynamic look that implies movement. The bodies and heads of the Sea Serpents are also pegged into the sides of the pole, stretching the width to nearly four feet. The pegged-in components are incised with design elements that form a pair of open hands flanking the central head of the Sisiutl, ribs, and the forelegs and claws of the Sea Serpents themselves.
The bodies of the Sea Serpents are gracefully arched and cut out to indicate spines and horns, which greatly enhances the silhouette and lines of the pole. The central face of the Sisiutl has pegged in horns and extended tongue, defining features of this supernatural being. The pole is mounted on a wide, chamfered base with his signature and a list of the beings represented on the bottom. This pole features some of Joseph’s cleanest carving and v-cuts and is a very fine example of his work.
PERIOD: Mid 20th CenturyORIGIN: Northwest Coast - Alaskan, Native American
SIZE: 27" x 46" x 15"
