Lot Essay
John Cross was listed as an established Haida artist in a study published in 1893. John Cross Neeslant was chief of Skidegate and a talented carver of gold and silver as well as agillite and wood.
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JOHN CROSS
Details
HAIDA ARGILLITE MODEL TOTEM POLE CARVING
John Cross
At the base, a bear hold a bare chested man who is lying horizontally across the bear's legs and wrapped around them, the man's eyes closed and tongue protruding diagonally in a death pose. Above the bear is a raven with a carved wood pail in his beak, his wings stretched below and slightly in front of him. Above the raven is another bear shown eating a salmon, the head halfway into the bear's mouth. Marked John Cross Neeslant 1850-1939 on bottom.
11 x 1¾ in. (27.9 x 4.4 cm.) (2)
John Cross
At the base, a bear hold a bare chested man who is lying horizontally across the bear's legs and wrapped around them, the man's eyes closed and tongue protruding diagonally in a death pose. Above the bear is a raven with a carved wood pail in his beak, his wings stretched below and slightly in front of him. Above the raven is another bear shown eating a salmon, the head halfway into the bear's mouth. Marked John Cross Neeslant 1850-1939 on bottom.
11 x 1¾ in. (27.9 x 4.4 cm.) (2)