Rare 19th C. Native Alaskan Yup'ik Wood Mask

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Clearance Sale - Ancient / Ethnographic Art

By Artemis Gallery

Aug 16, 2018

Set Reminder 2018-08-16 10:00:00 2018-08-16 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Clearance Sale - Ancient / Ethnographic Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/clearance-sale---ancient-ethnographic-art-3368
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• Lot Description
  **Originally Listed At $1900**
  
  Native American, southwestern Alaska, probably Yup'ik, ca. 19th century CE. An incredibly rare find, an expressive wooden mask from the long shamanic masking tradition of the Alaskan native people. The face is painted white, of which some of the pigment remains. Incised almond-shaped eyes with black irises stare out from underneath a heavy brow with thick black painted eyebrows. Four iron staples are just above the brow, all but one holding in place a thick lock of hair (presumably the other also once had this). The staples on the far edges of the eyebrows have longer hair, giving the impression of hair hanging down the face. The forehead follows the natural shape of the wood, with a deep groove down the center. The slit-shaped mouth has three teeth, each made of a thin rectangle of wood inserted into the lips. Looking at the concave back of the mask, you can easily see how the artist dug into the wood to create this shape. Size: 8.25" W x 9.25" H (21 cm x 23.5 cm); 12.85" H (32.6 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  Yup'ik masks, also known as Cup'ik or Cup'ig masks, represent one of the most tangible wooden artifacts from this culture. Their form can vary enormously, highlighting individual artistic imagination. Similar examples have attached feathers while others have multiple colors, giving an idea of what this might have looked like when new. Both men and women carved these masks under direction from shamans ("angalkuq"). During the long darkness of the Arctic winter, dancers used masks like this one to tell stories in communal ceremonial houses. Sadly, Christian missionaries in the late 19th century suppressed Yup'ik masked dancing and the tradition has not returned.
  
  See this example of a Yup'ik mask at the Dallas Museum of Art with similar teeth: https://collections.dma.org/artwork/3113751
  
  Provenance: private Newport Beach, California, USA collection; ex-private George Schwab collection, Washington, USA
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
  We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
  
  #133579

  Condition

  Encrusted patina on surface, with much remaining pigment. The hair attached to the head is missing from one staple. Small ancient losses along the edges, with a more recent small loss from the back of the upper right (facing).
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