Native American, Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, Canada, ca. 20th century CE. Signed "MARK" on underside. A beautiful wood sculpture of a whale, skillfully hand-carved to display a minimalist yet elegant form, all painted in hues of navy, cornflower blue, pink, and white. The stylized animal presents huge eyes, a rounded snout, a drilled blowhole, and a giant mouth with pink lips and sizeable gritted teeth. A tapered dorsal fin curves upwards from the mammal's back as incised ovals on each side represent its flippers and a bifurcated tail extends from the back. Size: 20.7" L x 5.2" W x 11.3" H (52.6 cm x 13.2 cm x 28.7 cm); 22.5" H (57.2 cm) on included custom stand.
Provenance: ex-private Bishop Family Trust collection, the Trust of the late Bill Bishop, a noted antiquarian with shops in Scottsdale, Arizona and Allenspark, Colorado, USA, acquired before 2010
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#172976
Condition
Petite scratch to snout. Expected light abrasions as shown. Otherwise, intact and excellent with great pigments. Whale is detachable from stand. Signed "MARK" on underside. Top of cylindrical pedestal on stand is inscribed "FRONT" in pencil to indicate direction.