UNIDENTIFIED ARTIST, INUPIAQ, KING ISLAND, ALASKA
Mask, c. 1930s
driftwood, ochre, black pigment, and uguruk (bearded seal skin), 9.75 x 6 x 2 in (24.8 x 15.2 x 5.1 cm)
unsigned.

Provenance
Important Private Collection, Pittsburgh, PA.

This earlier mask is carved from driftwood and painted in orange ochre and a black pigment with an uguruk thong for it to be worn. With its orange face, prominent black eyebrows, flared nostrils, and fine, thin lips, it probably depicts a medicine man and likely dates to the 1930s. King Islanders are known for being especially skilled carvers and were prolific makers of masks for the first half of the 20th century, for sale and for community use. As with many King Island masks, there is considerable watermarking on the surface. Some of this is from the natural process of moisture, sap, and other impurities seeping out of the driftwood over time and is just part of the nature of the mask. The lighter, more prominent watermarks may be considered actual water damage.

Christopher W. Smith