Canadian northwest feast bowl sells for $31,500 at Heritage

A feast bowl made by the Nootka people of Canada's northwest coast has sold for $31,250 at Heritage Auctions.

The lot headlined an auction of American Indian, pre-Columbian and tribal art in Dallas on July 8.

Nootka feast bowl
The rare Nootka feast bowl is consigned from a well known collection

It's consigned from the collection of fashion moguls Liz Claiborne and Arthur Orenburg.

The Nootka are native to an island off the coast of modern-day Vancouver and were named after a misunderstanding in their first interaction with whites.

When Captain James Cook sailed to the region the locals instructed him to circle around ("nuutkaa") in order to reach a calm bay to anchor in. The name stuck.

This is a particularly fine specimen of work from the region. It's carved from a dark, heavy wood and is believed to date to the early 1800s.

A beautifully carved Teotihuacan stone mask dating to around AD 450-650 was another highlight of the collection.

It realised $12,500.

The piece would likely have been positioned over the entranceway to a temple.

Delia Sullivan, head of ethnographic art at Heritage Auctions, told Intelligent Collector: "It is clear that these art works were collected with a keen eye for art and design as well as a passion for the people and places from which they hail.

"It was a career highlight to work on the Liz Claiborne and Arthur Ortenberg collection because it spanned so many cultures and artistic styles.

"Plainly stated, this collection has it all."

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