This wolf howling at the moon is one of the most detailed and highly finished of the carvings of Alex Mountain, KwAGiulth artist from Mamalillikulla in northern BC. The subject is a wolf howling at the moon – but what a wolf! It is taught, lean, powerful. Its clawed feet have a firm grasp of the ground, giving it purchase for a leap should that be called for. Its tail is long, twisting up along its backbone. The haunches are coiled, the front legs are clearly muscular. The head is thrown back, the fangs showing, and there is a kind of crest or topknot—not a literal figure, but almost a crown, a sheaf of fur blasted back by the night time wind. The moon is large overhead, a challenge and a companion to the wolf as it howls. Alex Mountain uses red cedar, carving clearly and then using a brown stain, heavily buffed to a deep shine. V 49 cm (19”) x H 14 cm (5.5”), 1 cm thk (.25”)