Stan Hunt III Kwakwaka’wakw “Crooked Beak of Heaven” Sculpture, 2000

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Kwakwaka’wakw “Crooked Beak of Heaven” sculptural mask by First Nations artist Stan Hunt III (1958–2011), dated January 2000.

A striking … Read more Kwakwaka’wakw “Crooked Beak of Heaven” sculptural mask by First Nations artist Stan Hunt III (1958–2011), dated January 2000.

A striking freestanding work composed of carved and painted wood with natural plant-fiber elements and braided fiber trim. The dramatically articulated form features a movable lower beak, bold Northwest Coast formline-inspired decoration in black, red, green and cream, and an expressive mass of natural fiber surrounding the carved elements.

The work is mounted on a black painted wood display base, allowing it to be presented as a sculptural object rather than requiring wall mounting.

The underside is hand-inscribed “STAN HUNT III / Kwakiutl / Crooked Beak of Heaven / 1/2000.”

Crooked Beak of Heaven is an important figure within Kwakwaka’wakw visual and ceremonial traditions. Historical examples incorporate carved wood, pigment, cord and plant fiber; the Metropolitan Museum of Art holds a late-19th-century Crooked Beak of Heaven Mask constructed from these materials.

Stanley E. Hunt III (1958–2011) was a documented Kwakwaka’wakw First Nations artist whose carved and painted works have entered museum collections and the secondary art market. His work is represented, for example, in the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

A visually commanding piece with exceptional scale, movement and texture, equally compelling viewed from the front, profile or reverse.

Dimensions: 24.75” H × 20” W × 9” D. See less