Three-Headed Representational Totem
Date1975
Artist
Ulysses Davis
1913 - 1990
MediumCarved and stained mahogany and softwood
DimensionsOverall: 19 1/4 × 6 7/8 × 6 7/8in. (48.9 × 17.5 × 17.5cm)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number2025.701.1
DescriptionCarved and stained wooden decorative sculpture wth three heads stacked one on top of one another.Label TextConsidered one of the South’s most accomplished sculptors, Ulysses Davis began whittling around the age of 10 and continued the practice as a hobby throughout his life. In the 1950s, after being laid off from the railroad, Davis opened the Ulysses Barber Shop in an outbuilding near his home. The shop’s horizontal surfaces were filled with his wood carvings, and even though he never considered himself an artist, he enjoyed discussing his art with his customers. Davis is perhaps most well-known for his portrait busts. He carved likenesses of historic figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., and by the time of his death in 1990, had carved all the then 40 United States Presidents. This representational totem, depicting three unidentified men, showcases Davis’s ability to render individual, realistic likenesses.
ProvenanceDate unknown; Collection of Carole Wahler [1937-2023] (Knoxville, Tennessee); 2025, sold by Brunk Auctions [January 29, 2025, lot 34] (Ashville, North Carolina); 2025, purchased by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)
