#78 • A Hooper Bay Woman & Bear Spirit Mask - Ivan O'Brien

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

High bid $700.00

Status: Sold

Category: Ethnographic Objects

A c.1973 wooden spirit mask carved in the shape of a bear, accented with white, black, red, and rust-colored paints. The bear is facing downward with a fish grasped in its mouth, and with the woman's spirit face upon the bear's spinal column. Six geometric appendages are attached, along with a pair each of seals and fish that are suspended upon feather quills, two per side, 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 12" x 3" x 19" tall.