UNIDENTIFIED ARTIST, GREENLAND
Tupilak, early 1970s
ivory and black inlay, 5 x 2 x 3 in (12.7 x 5.1 x 7.6 cm)
unsigned.
LOT 130
ESTIMATE: $500 — $800
unsigned.
LOT 130
ESTIMATE: $500 — $800
Further images
The first tupilak figurines were made of wood. Stone, ivory, antler, and even imported cow horn were eventually utilized for commercial sale. The most well-known and popular examples are carved...
The first tupilak
figurines were made
of wood. Stone, ivory,
antler, and even
imported cow horn were eventually utilized for commercial
sale. The most well-known and popular examples are carved
from sperm whale teeth; this is what gives them their distinctive
curved, conical shape.
For a discussion of tupilak figures see Birte Haagen, Tupilaks: Magical Figures from Greenland, (Virum: Tinok, 2014); see also Bodil Kaalund, The Art of Greenland: Sculpture, Crafts, Painting (Berkeley: University of California Press), p. 67-74.
For a discussion of tupilak figures see Birte Haagen, Tupilaks: Magical Figures from Greenland, (Virum: Tinok, 2014); see also Bodil Kaalund, The Art of Greenland: Sculpture, Crafts, Painting (Berkeley: University of California Press), p. 67-74.
Provenance
Private Collection, British Columbia;Acquired form the above by the present Toronto Collection.
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