Detail: Haida Argillite Pipe ca. 1880. http://www.antiquearms.co.uk
I occasionally complain about the lousy pictures that professional organizations put on the web. I guess I should know that when you have something to sell, you put it’s best face forward; when you don’t, you might not care as much. Check out the high resolution pictures of this Haida argillite pipe for sale (4,800 GBP). Multiple angles of the pipe, each one sharp and crisp: you can see each stroke of the knife and the grain of the slate. Yes there is some glare but the images are much better than most museums make available on the web. Amazing stuff.
Described as:
19thC. HAIDA ARGILLITE EFFIGY PIPE. #4213 #4213
a bowl carved in the form of a European sailor’s head with large rounded eyes and long straight nose, a figure seated astride the stem also with large rounded eyes and long straight nose and with arms extended wearing European costume with a stripe incised along the sides of the tunic arms and the trousers. Overall 20cm. From the tribes of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America, principily Northern Columbia and Queen Charlotte Island. 20cm
This pipe was brought back and formed part of the collection of John Madden (1837-1902) of Hilton Park Clones Co, Monaghan Ireland, he left the Irish family estate at the age of 24 to travel by horse across the eastern states of America as far as the Great Lakes just before the start of the Civil War. During his later travels between 1870-1890 he is known to have reached British Columbia where he bought this pipe, it stayed in the family home until the collection was sold at an auction of part of the contents of Hilton Park on the 8th July 1985 where this item was aquired.
For the record, here are the seven views offered by the dealer: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
Haida Pipe: detail as if looking down the stem to the bowl.
Northwest Coast Archaeology 
