#79 • A Hooper Bay Woman & Seal Spirit Mask - Ivan O'Brien

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

High bid $950.00

Status: Sold

Category: Ethnographic Objects

A c.1973 wooden spirit mask carved in the shape of a seal, accented with white, black, and rust-colored paints. The seal is facing downward, with a woman's spirit face upon the seal's spinal column. Wing-type appendages and a tail are attached, along with a pair each of geometric-shaped hands and flippers; two seals and a single fish are suspended upon feather quills, left, right, and top, as shown. By Yup'ik artist Ivan O'Brian (1924-1992) from Hooper Bay, Alaska. A hoop en verso allows for wall hanging, and the entire mask measures approximately 17" x 3.5" x 18" tall.