#261 • Frank Shavings Yup’ik Puffin & Puffling Double-Hoop Spirit Mask, 19 Inches

Part of October 2026 Curiosities Auction (timed auction by Alaska Premier Auctions & Appraisals)

High bid $10.00

Status: Available

Bidding closes Oct 25, 2026 5:39 PM AKDT

Category: Ethnographic Objects

A striking carved and painted wooden spirit mask by Yup’ik artist Frank Shavings (1920–2007) of Mekoryuk, Nunivak Island, Alaska. A large puffin encloses a smaller puffling within its patterned breast, the birds’ red-accented beaks standing out against the crisp black-and-white palette. Two slender wooden hoops frame the central figure, with projecting bird heads, wings, feather forms and fish creating an animated, radiating silhouette. The reverse is signed Frank Shavings and inscribed Mekoryuk with the ZIP code 99630. Approximately 19" wide x 1" deep x 19" high.