Sold for: $55,250

PROVENANCE
Gift of the Artist
By descent to the present Private Collection, Vancouver

LITERATURE
Robert Bringhurst, The Black Canoe: Bill Reid and the Spirit of Haida Gwaii, 1991, a photograph of Bill Reid carving the killer whale form reproduced page 139

One of the principal figures in the revival of Haida art, Bill Reid was a master of form and Haida myth in his jewellery and sculpture, and his work has become legendary. Killer Whale on Clan Hat is one of a few limited edition sculptures produced from elements of Reid’s iconic monumental bronze work The Spirit of Haida Gwaii; in this work Reid uses the killer whale form that was atop the Chief’s Staff. The evolution of this form started from drawings in 1986, then in 1991 the developed plaster model of the killer whale for the staff was put aside, and Reid had a new version modeled in wax by George Rammell. One of Reid’s strongest recurrent animal totems, the killer whale is an important figure in Haida mythology – a symbol of power and beauty, considered the chief of sea beings in the undersea realm. Carved wooden clan hats with house crests were used by the leaders of the house group during important ceremonies. This fine sculpture embodies Reid’s use of Haida traditional form expressed through a streamlined contemporary elegance of line.

This work was produced in an edition of nine.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars