Before turning increasingly to the human figure (see Lot 108), Oviloo Tunnillie explored a range of animal subjects, among them this splendidly stylized falcon. Its wings rise in a steep, sweeping ascent, lending the slender bird an unexpected sense of stature and even solemnity. Shallow incisions trace the suggestion of feathers along the outstretched wings, their delicately scored surfaces contrasting with the smooth, solid modelling of the breast and head. The green stone, flecked and suffused with paler and darker passages, lends a subtle variation to the surface, its shifting shades following the contours of the carving. There is something almost ceremonial in the falcon's elongated silhouette, with its small, steadfast head set between two soaring wings. Already apparent is Oviloo's inclination to stretch and simplify familiar forms, transforming a natural subject into a sculpture of singular presence.

MBL