Stylized Folk Art Eagle Whirligig

Inuit or Haida First Nations
Northwest Coast, late 19^th c., possibly early 20^th c.
Carved wood, polychrome paint decoration.
Over-all in excellent condition, some wear and loss to original paint decoration.
Provenance; Collection of Robert Bishop, curator at the American Folk Art Museum, New York; Burton and Helaine Fendelman, New York; Mark and Sandy Keily.
Illustrated in American Folk Sculpture, by Robert Bishop, E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc., New York, 1974, pg. 369, pl. 696.
This carved silhouette of an eagle is fitted with rotating pinwheel wings and retains an outstanding untouched weathered surface. The Native Eagle symbol is known as “The master of skies” and is a symbol of great significance and is believed to be the creature with the closest relationship with the creator.