Fauteuil, Haïda, Colombie Britannique,Côte nord-ouest

Le dossier ajouré - orné en champlevé de motifs élaborés tirés de la mythologie - présente, au centre de la composition, un masque anthropomorphe sculpté en haut relief, tandis que des têtes - humaines à l'arrière, et de corbeau à l'avant - émergeant en ronde bosse au sommet des montants de section carrée. Les accoudoirs sont incrustés de nacre d'haliotis. Belle patine brune, profonde.

The chair is in very good original condition with wear consistent with its age.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Très peu d'œuvres associent, comme ici, l'iconographie de la Côte nord-ouest aux formes du mobilier européen.
cf. Sotheby's (New York, 1977, n° 48) pour une chaise Haida en bois peint, très comparable, provenant du Pitt-Rivers Museum, puis de la collection Roy G. Cole ; et Holm (1981) pour une autre, connue sous le nom de « Chicago Settee », conservée au Field Museum, Chicago.

Un autre exemplaire comparable, conservé au Museum für Völkerkunde, Berlin (Berlin, 1999 : 172), fut commandé à un sculpteur Bella Bella par Johan Adrian Jacobsen (1853 – 1947), commissionné par le musée pour collecter des œuvres de la Côte nord-ouest, au début des années 1880. Selon toute vraisemblance, le fauteuil présenté ici constitue également une œuvre de commande, réalisée dans la seconde moitié du XIX^e siècle à la demande d'un observateur étranger.

A Haida chair, British Columbia, Northwest Coast

The artistic traditions of the Northwest Coast tribes, particularly the plasticity of form line decoration, lend themselves to furniture decoration, as is dramatically demonstrated in this chair. Very few pieces are known to exist which combine Northwest Coast iconography and European furniture design. The most closely related example, a Haida painted wood chair, was de-accessioned by the Pitt-Rivers Museum, Oxford and sold at Sotheby's as part of the Roy G. Cole Collection in 1977, lot 48.

Another example of seated furniture, known as the 'Chicago Settee' is in the collection of The Field Museum, Chicago and published in The World is as Sharp as a Knife, (Holm, 1981). A further example is in the Museum für Völkerkunde, Berlin, published in Bolz and Sanner (1999, 172).

The latter was ordered from a Bella Bella carver by Johan Adrian Jacobsen (1853-1947), who received a commission from the Museum to collect materials from the Northwest Coast in the early 1880s. It is likely that the offered chair was also comissioned during the second half of the 19^th century by a European visitor to the Northwest Coast.