#69 • 6" Inupiaq Baleen Basket w/Seal Finial - Carl E. Hank

Part of June 2025 Premier Auction (live auction by Alaska Premier Auctions & Appraisals)

High bid $950.00

Status: Sold

Category: Ethnographic Objects

The traditional art form of basket weaving is shown here in this exceptional baleen basket specimen with domed lid, topped with a disk of walrus tusk inlaid with black baleen polka dots around its rim, a slice of fossilized tusk, and finished with a carved walrus tusk seal figurine. The starter base tusk disk is signed by Inupiaq artist Carl E. Hank (b.1982) of Point Barrow, Alaska. The Alaskan Native art of basket weaving is kept alive by very few people, mostly men, and produced in only a few cities and villages across Alaska, such as Barrow, Point Hope, Kivalina, and Kotzebue. Carl Hanks' family is part of those master basket makers, including his great-grandparents, Carl and Eunice Hank, his aunt Marilyn Hank, and his uncle Harry Hank. This beautiful example of the art form measures approximately 5.5" in diameter x 6" tall.