FAQ
Attributed to Charles Edenshaw (1839–1924). Headdress Frontlet. Northwest Coast, Canada. Haida, late 19th century. Wood, abalone shell, pigment, 6 1/8 x 5 1/2 x 3 in. (15.6 x 14 x 7.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Helena Rubenstein, 50.158
This type of frontlet would have been attached to a headdress made from ermine fur, wool, down feathers, skin, and sea lion whiskers. It depicts a bear overpowering an insect with a segmented body and wings behind its head and relates to a specific family crest. Headdress frontlets were, and still are, worn by a male or female chief during a dance to greet visitors to the village. Wearing an elaborate, woven blanket or apron and often carrying a rattle, the dancer would gracefully dip the headdress, scattering soft down over the visitor as a gesture of peace.
Charles Edenshaw was a well-known master carver who was among the first Haida artists to earn a living entirely from the works he created. His specific style can be identified through his unique eye-form. The eye itself is on a well-rounded orb, with a round iris enclosed in tapered lids with well-defined rims. There is no hollowing of the socket below the eye, and the cheeks of the figure are well-rounded, intersecting with the eye socket plane. Edenshaw's oeuvre was varied, consisting of full-size and small totem poles along with settees, cradles, carved crest figures for grave monuments, and silver bracelets. His great-grandsons, Robert and Reg Davidson, continue his artistic tradition today.
Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum