#66 • Eunice Hank Inupiaq Baleen Basket

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

High bid $400.00

Status: Sold

Category: Ethnographic Objects

A mid-20th-century signed Iñupiaq two-tone baleen basket with a carved walrus tusk dual seal finial, made by Eunice Hank (1919-1996). The double-seal lid finial is a signature style of the highly regarded Hank family of basket makers. The Alaskan Native art of baleen 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. Eunice Hanks' family is part of those master weavers, including husband Carl and daughter Marilyn; the artist's works are housed in the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. Basket measures approximately 4.25 in diameter x 2.75 tall.