Tsimshian Three Figure Totem by Frederick Alexcee

Tsimshian three figure pole by noted artist Frederick Alexcee. This model pole was carved in red cedar by noted Tsimshian/Iroquois artist Frederick Alexcee (ca. 1853-1940). Alexcee was a multidisciplinary artist who was a prolific carver and whose painting influenced Canadian artist Emily Carr. His work can be found in the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) at UBC, the Royal British Columbia Museum, the Canadian Museum of History, and the Museum of Vancouver. Alexcee also made quite a lot of art for William Webber and his Thunderbird Scenery Shop on Granville Street in Vancouver and was the artist who created the angel baptismal font that is now housed at the MOA. This pole depicts a bear consuming an inverted human over what appears to be a sea monster of some sort. Alexcee’s work has largely settled into collections at this point, and even smaller poles like this one are hard to find. 9"