Sterling Silver Buckle with Killer Whale and Eagle Symbology [SOLD]
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- Category: Belts and Buckles
- Origin: Kwakwaka’wakw
- Medium: sterling silver
- Size: 2-½” x 1-¾”;
Belt opening: 1-¼” - Item # C4792D SOLD
This buckle's central animal is a killer whale, surrounded by two sea hawks, an eagle, and a couple of other animals. Paying exceptionally fine attention to detail, the artist, Richard Hunt, etched the figures over a textured background. Each contains very thin lines to outline their appearance, and the buckle is quite dynamic to observe. This design is a stylized motif known as "formline art", which is a feature of indigenous art of the Northwest Coast tribes. These designs are used in totem poles as well as painted on the lodges of ceremonial structures.
The buckle was cast and is number 15 in a series of 50. It is signed on the back Richard D. Hunt 15/50 .925. What the number 925 indicates is the purity level of the sterling silver.
Richard Hunt was born in 1951 at Alert Bay, British Columbia (B.C.), Canada, but has lived most of his life in Victoria, B.C. On his father's side, he is a descendant of the renowned Native ethnologist George Hunt. He began carving at the age of thirteen. In 1973 he began carving with his father, Henry Hunt, at Thunderbird Park at the British Columbia Provincial Museum in Victoria. He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards. His work is found in the Denver Art Museum. He is of Kwakwaka'wakw descent.
Many people who others call "Kwakiutl" consider that name a misnomer. They prefer the name Kwakwaka'wakw, which means "Kwak'wala-speaking-peoples". One exception is the Laich-kwil-tach at Campbell River—they are known as the Southern Kwakiutl, and their council is the Kwakiutl District Council. The Kwakiutl are a Pacific Northwest Coast Indigenous people. Their current population is approximately 5,500. - Wikipedia
Condition: very good condition
Provenance: this Sterling Silver Buckle with Killer Whale and Eagle Symbology is from the collection of a client of Adobe Gallery
Recommended Reading: American Indian Jewelry II: A-L 1,800 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaaf.
TAGS: Southwest Indian Jewelry, Kwakwaka'wakw, Richard Hunt
- Category: Belts and Buckles
- Origin: Kwakwaka’wakw
- Medium: sterling silver
- Size: 2-½” x 1-¾”;
Belt opening: 1-¼” - Item # C4792D SOLD
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