Lot # 066

William Ronald (Bill) Reid
1920 - 1998 Canadian

Killer Whale and Humans
sterling silver brooch circa 1957
1 5/8 x 2 1/4 in  4.1 x 5.7cm

Provenance:
Acquired directly from the Artist by Nora Gregory, Vancouver, 1950s
By descent to the present Private Collection, New York

Literature:
Doris Shadbolt, Bill Reid, 1986, similar 1957 brooch entitled Raven, Bear and Frog reproduced page 123

After studying traditional European jewellery-making methods in Toronto, Bill Reid returned to Vancouver in 1951, establishing a workshop for his jewellery and applying the contemporary techniques that he learned to his work with traditional Haida motifs in silver. Reid was influenced by the work of Charles Edenshaw, the revered Haida sculptor, and admired his deeply carved bracelets. The equivalent in Haida language for the term deeply carved is well made – and Reid is known for his devotion to superb craftsmanship as well as the sculptural quality of his jewellery.
In Haida mythology, the killer whale is a symbol of beauty and power, believed to be a human counterpart under the sea with its own complex society. This image possibly refers to a Haida myth in which the wife of a man named Nanasimget is abducted by a killer whale, and he travels to the killer whale’s lodge under the sea to rescue her.
This work will be included in Martine Reid's forthcoming catalogue raisonné on the artist's work.

Estimate: $9,000 ~ $12,000 CAD

Sold For: $10,530.00 CAD (including buyer's premium)