#37 • 8.5" Inupiaq Baleen Basket - Carl E. Hank

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

High bid $2,700.00

Status: Sold

Category: Ethnographic Objects

The traditional art form of basket weaving is shown here in this exceptional baleen basket specimen with finely crafted weaving. Basket has a domed lid, topped with a walrus tusk finial in the shape of a polar bear's head. 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, 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 weavers, 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 6.5" in diameter x 8.5" tall.