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A Northwest Coast figural implement image 1
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Lot 56

A Northwest Coast figural implement

9 December 2025, 12:00 PST
Los Angeles

US$50,000 - US$80,000

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A Northwest Coast figural implement

Of carved wood, polychrome painted in red, black and blue, the tapered handle surmounted by a standing male figure with applied hair coiffure, holding a cylindrical object to its chest, a frog painted on the chest, the phallus erect, the back worked with three pierced and stylized animal effigies, possibly including a sculpin, an owl, and a land otter, drilled about the base of the handle.
height 13 1/2in, width 1 3/4in

Footnotes

Provenance
Per the collector's notes, acquired from "Meredith, 1948"
Property from the Collection of a New England Artist

For similar figural objects, variously described as staffs (or wands) or types of rattles, see Wardwell, Allen, Tangible Visions, 1997, Monacelli Press, New York, pp.224-229 and pp.278-279. Of those identified as rattles, several include strung clusters of puffin beaks radiating about the base or other sections.

Additional information