ATTR: PAUL JONES (c. 1847-1927), TANU / SKIDEGATE, HAIDA GWAII

Model Totem Pole,c. 1890-1900

argillite, 9 x 2 x 2 in (22.9 x 5.1 x 5.1 cm)

unsigned.

Provenance

Chrsitie's, 18 March 1984, their label verso;

A British Columbia Collection.

Paul Jones originally came from Tanu Island, a village that in the 19th century boasted thirty finely carved cedar poles. According to Leslie Drew and Douglas Wilson, Paul Jones was a notable Skidegate carver, whose poles feature crests with a slight uptilt, and animal faces with sunken cheeks and mouths that are often wide and downturned [1]. This fine model pole depicts (from the top): a female dogfish with labret; a raven holding its tail with a face carved on it; and a seated beaver.

1. Leslie Drew and Douglas Wilson, Argillite: Art of the Haida, (1980), p. 250.

Literature: Marius Barbeau discusses Paul Jones’ life and illustrates his work in some detail in his book Haida Carvers in Argillite (Ottawa: National Museum of Man, 1957/1974), pp. 110-117. See Leslie Drew and Douglas Wilson, Argillite: Art of the Haida (Vancouver: Hancock House, 1980), pp. 250, 252. For a comparable work by the artist see Walker’s Auctions, Ottawa, May 2015, Lot 99.