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Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: UNIDENTIFIED KALAALLIT (GREENLANDIC) ARTIST, Tupilak, 1970s
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: UNIDENTIFIED KALAALLIT (GREENLANDIC) ARTIST, Tupilak, 1970s
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: UNIDENTIFIED KALAALLIT (GREENLANDIC) ARTIST, Tupilak, 1970s
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: UNIDENTIFIED KALAALLIT (GREENLANDIC) ARTIST, Tupilak, 1970s

UNIDENTIFIED KALAALLIT (GREENLANDIC) ARTIST

Tupilak, 1970s
antler and black inlay, 4 x 1 x 1.25 in (10.2 x 2.5 x 3.2 cm)
unsigned.
LOT 21

Further images

  • (View a larger image of thumbnail 1 ) UNIDENTIFIED KALAALLIT (GREENLANDIC) ARTIST, Tupilak, 1970s
  • (View a larger image of thumbnail 2 ) UNIDENTIFIED KALAALLIT (GREENLANDIC) ARTIST, Tupilak, 1970s
  • (View a larger image of thumbnail 3 ) UNIDENTIFIED KALAALLIT (GREENLANDIC) ARTIST, Tupilak, 1970s
  • (View a larger image of thumbnail 4 ) UNIDENTIFIED KALAALLIT (GREENLANDIC) ARTIST, Tupilak, 1970s
Tupilaks originated in Greenland as potent and dangerous spiritual constructs, often assembled from animal bones and wrapped in skin. These were not objects of display. They were private instruments of...
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Tupilaks originated in Greenland as potent and dangerous spiritual constructs, often assembled from animal bones and wrapped in skin. These were not objects of display. They were private instruments of harm, believed to summon death upon one’s enemies. In the early twentieth century, the carving of small tupilak figures began in East Greenland, shifting their purpose from hidden ritual to visible artifact. By the 1930s, this practice had taken hold in West Greenland as well. The example seen here, carved in caribou antler rather than sperm whale tooth, reflects both adaptation and continuity. Its material carries practical implications, it can be legally exported, while its form sustains a connection to the older, more esoteric tradition from which it emerged.

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Provenance

Private Collection, Ontario.
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