Russ Furniture

Pacific Northwest coast carved cedar killer whale rattle, by Coastal Salish - Squamish artist Stan Joseph, signed and dated 2012, a beautiful and deeply carved hollow cedar dance rattle in the form of a Killer Whale, with relief carved eyes and mouth, surface striations, and three human faces on the back and tale, with applied pectoral and dorsal fins. Mounted with simple whittled cradle on cedar block base (signed and dated on bottom of base). Hollow interior rattles with entrapped pebbles. The carving was never polychromed and remains in its original natural finish. Excellent condition. Stan Joseph is a Coastal Salish artist from North Vancouver. He began carving in 1962 at the age of twelve, and also ventured into painting and designing totem poles. In 1972 he carved an 80 foot and other huge poles which sold to Germany. In 1980 he carved a 60-foot pole for Sea Span and another one for the Chief Joe Matthias Centre, as well as the welcome figure on the West Vancouver Pier. Stan is now an outstanding master carver who teaches his craft to the next generation of young artists. Stan is also accomplished at making silver and gold jewelry, and teaches this art at the employment center. Stan has been interested in the spiritual dances of the Coast Salish...

A scarce early Duluth Fish Decoy American folk art sculpture, depicting a Orca killer whale, hand-carved by the late David Earl Perkins (Duluth, Minnesota, 1934-2018), featuring the realistic original hand-painted black finish with cream white accents, glass eyes and metal fins, signed at the underside "DFD", on a lead weight. circa 1960s/1970s Originally based on lures used for winter spear fishing, see below for the Duluth Fish Decoy story. - Dimensions: (approx) 8" Wide, 3.25" High, 4.75" Deep - Provenance / Acquisition: Property from a prominent Dallas, Texas estate Acquired from highly reputable auction house, Austin Auction Gallery, est.1983, Austin, Texas - Very good original vintage condition with beautifully aged patina and typical wear, character and charm - The Duluth Fish Decoys Story: (From the DFD website and in the words of Dave & Jim Perkins) "I guess it all started when I speared my first northern pike – what a thrill.  The only thing better was to spear one lured in with a decoy I made myself. I made more decoys to spear more fish and found out I liked making decoys as much as spearing northerns.  Well, soon enough, my decoy/lunch box had more decoys than lunch. So I laid off the making and stepped up the spearing. Then when the fish tore them up and they scraped up against each other in the lunch box and they rolled around on the floor of the dark-house they weathered with an aged, charactered, antique patina.  It wasn't long before friends paid more mind to my spearing decoys than my fish stories.  Said they’d like to have some to set on the mantle – said they were folky.  So I laid off the spearing and stepped up the carving. Now I've been making DFD (Duluth Fish Decoys) spearing  decoys for longer than I want to admit – they say you’re only as old as you think you are. Being on the north side of seventy, I been making them for… let’s just say a long time.   I don’t know a web site from a stick of fire wood but the kids and grand-kids have been pestering me to get one for years. In fact, I told Jim, you make the web thing and I'll make the decoys that go on it.  But with the demand being more than I can keep up with, he's been making them right alongside of me - just like when he was a kid. Great to keep it in the family - two generations of DFD. Who'd of thunk it.   What a hoot it’s been to create something so enjoyed by others. Along the way our DFD decoys have ended up in The American Museum of Folk Art, on a limited edition print, in a governor’s mansion, in Hollywood actors' homes, in fishing decoy books, with interior designers, in art galleries, on a DVD, and now in a coffee table book devoted entirely to DFD.  What a hobby it’s been – what a blessing of God.   I hope to continue as long as my health holds out.   Lo, these many years later our DFD spearing decoys are still hand-crafted with that aged, weathered, antique patina.  As with all folk art there’s no two alike.  The pictures give the length of the decoy but it may vary by a half an inch.  They all have glass eyes and are hand painted with a brush – no air brush for us. The lead belly...

A pair of antique Indian hand-painted figural brass head religious sculptures. Hand-crafted in the Maharashtra or Karnataka region of India in the late 19th / early 20th century, d...

A wonderful. Whimsical piece by Hawain artist Russ Graff. Made from Hawaiian exotic and Kauai inlaid woods and a tree of natural driftwood. Signed an...

Vintage Brazilian hand carved Ironwood sculpture of a whale and a shark. Hand carved Brazilian sculpture hand crafted in amazing detail from one of...

A wonderfully detailed brass sculpture of the Indian god Ganesh or Ganesha with his large easily recognizable elephant head. Ganesh is one of the best-known...

3-575 hand carved wood grey whale wall sculpture signed Claire on verso

Indian sculpture in polychrome wood representing an elephant and its carnac. object intended for religious processions in India Very good condition

A carved wooden mask originating in the Pacific Northwest Coast. The design on the face is a Native American Killer Whale or Orca motif in black and red. The title, date and the arti...

Modernist abstract welded steel sculpture "Explosion" by Robert Brock. Intricately designed, precision welded steel rods, intentionally made to look as if it was blasted open, truly ...

Whimsical Folk Art Wire "head" sculpture,,,Very well exicuted,,

Very pretty and large Indonesian meticulously carved dark coffee color Sarawak amber octopus The amber from Indonesia is a fossil tree resin (from Shorea...