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Haida Tlingit Frog Totem Tobacco Mortar 19th C.

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:500.00 USD Estimated At:7,500.00 - 9,500.00 USD
Haida Tlingit Frog Totem Tobacco Mortar 19th C.
This is an outstanding and rare Northwest Coast Haida-Tlingit Frog Effigy Totem tobacco mortar pottery bowl dating from the 19th Century. Provenance: Purchased from DuMouchelles from Detroit, MI for over $2,000 and found to be an authentic early example by one of the most notable private collectors of American Indian artifacts in Billings, Montana. The piece is notably similar to the example sold by Bonhams Auction as a Haida Northwest Coast frog effigy tobacco mortar bowl, which brought $65,000 in Los Angeles, CA. The bowl is hand crafted from pottery and shows a recognizable frog effigy totem at one end with face pointed away from the bowl and Haida effigy totem man at the other end facing inward. The bowl itself has a common elongated elliptical shape with pointed ends, sometimes referred to as marque, seen on other tobacco mortar and grease bowls from the Haida. The piece is further decorated on the outsides with rich Haida Northwest Coast totem geometric patterns. This is truly a unique and rare example, very uncommonly seen in pottery form. Measures overall 10.25”L by 6.5”W by 4.75”H.