Monumental Pre-Contact Pestle

Tribe: Northwest Coast, Tlingit Date: Early to Mid 19th Century Materials: Mountain sheep horn Dimensions: L. 20 1/2" x W. 6 1/4" x D. 3" Condit...

Tribe: Woodlands - Western great lakes, attributed to the Mesquakie Date: 19th century or earlier Materials: Bulrush, vegetal dyes, indigo cloth-strap tie. Dimensions: L 86" x 55" Condition: Excellent, some wear patterns, minor fading. No restoration. Comments: The intricate interlocking geometric patterns provide innumerable hourglass and diamond motifs which are the central patterns of Western Great Lakes iconography. This artist achieved an extraordinary level of sophistication in overlaying diamond/hourglass design on contrasting background colors resulting in a dynamic interplay of pulsating foreground and background. "Rush mats...

This early striped Navajo weaving bolster pillow has unusual saw tooth pattern in corners. The back is a dark chocolate cotton linen backing. The condition is very good with down and...

Makah TOTEM by Young Doctor (1851-1934). Neah Bay, Washington. This monumental pole is a significant piece of Northwest Coast art and Seattle history that was previously owned by Joseph Edward “Daddy” Standley, the founder of the iconic Ye Olde Curiosity Shop in Seattle, Washington. The pole was displayed for years on the grounds of Standley’s “TOTEM Place” estate in West Seattle, across the bay from his iconic ethnographic art and curio shop on the Seattle Waterfront. So popular amongst tourists was the TOTEM Place estate grounds, that the Southwest Seattle Historical Society has stated that “for decades... it was a place where tour buses stopped, and flashbulbs popped. It probably was the most gawked-at, talked-about residence in West Seattle.” This pole was even featured in situ at Standley’s West Seattle home on a postcard that was sold to visitors through Ye Olde Curiosity Shop. While there are multitudes of model poles and other artifacts available to collectors that were sold as souvenirs from Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, objects that were actually owned by Standley are virtually unknown in the art market. The vast majority of objects that Standley esteemed and considered his private collection have remained with his family and descendants and are on permanent display in the store. Among the objects owned by Standley to make their way into the Smithsonian was a Spirit Canoe sculpture by Makah master carver Young Doctor (1851-1934), the likely carver of this pole. It would appear that Standley and Young Doctor had a good working relationship as a number of pieces, including this TOTEM, an elaborate transformation mask, the aforementioned Spirit Canoe model at NMAI, and a full model set of a Makah whaling crew and canoe were made for Standley by the artist. This large-scale TOTEM pole is an exceptional example of turn-of-the-20th-century Northwest Coast carving...

Exhibiting a rich patina and a beautifully irregular pattern of pitted wear, this petite redware olla vessel shows many telltale signs of Pre-Columbian pottery. The vessel has a glob...

This small olla jar is a beautiful example of Mesoamerican pottery, decorated with red, white, and orange slip in the style of Chupícuaro ware. Th...