MUNGO MARTIN (1879-1962) KWAKWA̱KA̱ʼWAKW
Frog Frontlet, c. 1930
alder wood and pigment, 8 x 6.5 x 3 in (20.3 x 16.5 x 7.6 cm), measurements reflect dimensions without custom metal stand.
inscribed in graphite in an unknown hand, "Wāgkāes = Frog / [Wachaeek/] (name given [to Waghaes?] man) with copper / which made him a chief";
incised in an unknown hand, "709 945 232".

ESTIMATE: $8,000— $12,000

Provenance
Ex. Collection Dr. Joseph T. Mandy;
A Vancouver Collection.

Mungo Martin was the stepson and apprentice of renowned Kwakwaka'wakw carver Yakudlas Charlie James (1867-1938) and the uncle of Ellen Neel (1916-1966). He was also an important early teacher to several prominent artists including Henry Hunt (1923-1985) and Doug Cranmer (1927-2006). Working throughout and despite the potlatch ban, Martin’s name is synonymous with the mid-20th century revitalization of Northwest Coast art, and he is often credited with bridging the cultural and artistic practices of the 19th century with the reappraisal of Northwest Coast objects as fine art in the second half of the 20th century. Martin also hosted the first public, legal potlatch of the 20th century in 1953, two years after the lifting of the potlatch ban in 1951.

This frontlet is in the shape of a copper and features a frog figure carved in high relief and painted in Indigenous pigments. There is a design that may represent a killer whale painted on the chest of the frog and eight white rectangles that represent the inlaid abalone shell usually found on frontlet headdresses. This piece is carved and painted in an earlier style for Martin that recalls the work of his stepfather, Charlie James. The absence of abalone inlays and the gear to wear this piece probably indicate that it was made for sale rather than cultural use.





Christopher W. Smith