#45 • A Nunivak Island Loon Spirit Mask - Uncle K. John

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

High bid $2,500.00

Status: Sold

Category: Ethnographic Objects

A polychrome wooden spirit mask, accented with black and rust pigment, and in the shape of a loon with male face upon the bird's back. Suspended upon four wooden rods to a double hoop frame, the mask is further accented with black wings and tails, plus carved hands and feet, all attached by feather quills. By "Uncle K. John" from Mekoryuk, Nunivak Island, Alaska, an artist whose works are in the collection of the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage; correspondence from the artist to his customer is included. Prepared for display with a sawtooth hanger affixed en verso, the spirit mask measures approximately 20" x 7" x 15" tall.