Shaman’s cups such as the two in the current sale are truly rare objects, with less than 10 examples known in museum and private collections. They were used to drink sea water but also to prepare plant mixtures such as devil’s club so are sometimes called mortars. They were decorated with figures fitting the individual shaman and their spiritual aides.

These cups come from the Reif Collection. Francis and Kay Reif collected widely and acquired many exceptional Northwest Coast works which they donated to various museums. These included the argillite collection now at the Royal BC Museum, which was illustrated in The Magic Leaves, a history of Haida argillite carving by Peter Macnair and Alan Hoover.

The main creature featured on the front of this piece could be any number of animals but is certainly a quadriped with claws. Some elements on the cup are reminiscent of feathers. See attached visual analysis by Peter Macnair.

For comparable examples to this work and lot 120 in our sale, see two Haida pieces in the collection of the Canadian Museum of History, #58986 VII-B-1000. and #60681 VII-B-1001..

We thank Alexander Baile for his assistance in researching this lot and for contributing the above essay.

For the biography on Gary Bell in PDF format, please click here.

To view the full catalogue for The Gary Bell Collection: Masterworks of Northwest Coast Art, please click here.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS WORK IS FOR DOMESTIC PURCHASE ONLY IN CANADA; Heffel will not ship this work internationally. Please be advised that this lot contains organic material that is protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).