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LOT 403

BCSFA OC
1946 -
Canadian Indigenous

Sea Bear
sterling silver bracelet
on verso signed and dated 1970
2 1/2 x 2 x 1 1/2 in, 6.3 x 5.1 x 3.8 cm

Estimate: $25,000 - $35,000 CAD

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PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Vancouver


In 1966, in the early years of his career, renowned West Coast artist Robert Davidson met Bill Reid and served an 18-month apprenticeship that launched his career. In 1967, he enrolled in the Vancouver School of Art, where he developed his drawing and design skills. In a ground-breaking cultural event, in 1969 he carved and raised the first totem pole in Masset on Haida Gwaii in approximately 90 years. He went on to create a powerful body of work, in sculpture, printmaking, painting and jewellery.

This fine early bracelet, produced in 1970, an exciting time for the 24-year-old Davidson, depicts the Sea Bear, a supernatural creature that in Haida mythology is part bear and part killer whale. This magical spirit was powerful in both realms of land and sea - a tale kept alive through oral story-telling among the Haida. This work is deeply carved, with cross-hatched negative space and a marvellous intertwining of figures on the sides. It recalls the work of Davidson’s great grandfather Charles Edenshaw, who used the Sea Bear motif in his superb bracelet in the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. In this work, Davidson used elements of iconic Haida design - balanced, interconnected forms and fluid lines to create a bracelet of great vitality and fine craftsmanship.


All prices are in Canadian Dollars


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