Tsimshian wooden portrait mask, 20.0 x 18.0 cm. Collected in 1863 at Metlakatla, British Columbia, by Rev. Robert J. Dundas. Photo: Frank Tancredi

ONTARIO.- The Art Gallery of Ontario presents Treasures of the Tsimshian from the Dundas Collection, on view through October 7, 2007. The Dundas Collection is among the most important collections of North American First Nations art in existence. Originally acquired by Rev. Robert James Dundas, a missionary working in British Columbia, this collection of Tsimshian First Nations art has been absent from Canada since 1863 until the works were auctioned off by Sotheby’s in October of 2006 for more than $7 million. The exhibition features 39 First Nations objects from the 18th and 19th centuries ranging from everyday items such as spoons and bowls to ceremonial and decorative works. Highlights of the exhibition include two wooden ceremonial masks, two clubs carved from antler and a clan hat. Organized by the Royal British Columbia Museum. (by courtesy of www.artdaily.org)