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Totem Pole, (sculpture)

Smithsonian American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery

Object Details

sculptor
Unknown
Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985
Bach, Ira J., and Mary Lackritz Gray, "A Guide to Chicago's Public Sculpture," Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1983, pg. 160-162.
Riedy, James L., "Chicago Sculpture," Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1981, pg. 246.
Save Outdoor Sculpture, Illinois, Chicago survey, 1992.
Bach, Ira J., and Mary Lackritz Gray, "A Guide to Chicago's Public Sculpture," Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1983, pg. 161.
The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.
Summary
There is a head of a sea monster which forms the base and supports an upside down baleen whale which carries the figure of a man on its back. A kulos, member of the thunderbird family, is perched at the top, its wings outspread; its claws grip the tail of the whale. It is painted with flamboyant colors.
Culture
Indian
Carved ca. 1900. Dedicated 1929
Control number
IAS 75004353
Type
Sculptures-Totem pole
Sculptures
Medium
Sculpture: cedar wood
Owner/Location
Administered by Chicago Park District Preservation Planning Division 425 East McFetridge Drive Chicago Illinois 60605
Unlocated
Title
Kwa-Ma-Rolas, (sculpture)
Art Inventories Catalog, Smithsonian American Art Museums
Topic
Fantasy--Monster
Animal--Whale
Figure male--Nude
Ethnic--Kwakiutl
Animal--Bird
Mythology--American Indian
Record ID
siris_ari_8042
Metadata Usage (text)
Usage conditions apply

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