As in Yvonne Kanayuq’s most celebrated works, this small sculpture presents an intimate scene of a mother with her children. The figures are shaped in rounded, voluminous forms that press closely together, leaving little negative space and reinforcing their sense of shared physical and emotional connection. The faces, as in the strongest examples of her work, are rendered with remarkable care. Full, softly rounded cheeks lend warmth and approachability, while fine incised lines define the eyes and mouths with precision. Subtle modelling allows these features to catch and reflect the light, shaping each expression with care. That such remarkable presence can be contained within a work small enough to rest in the palm of one’s hand is extraordinary.

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References: The format of this work sculpture is, as mentioned, quite similar to several other examples that we know of by the artist: See First Arts, 12 June 2023, Lot 57, also illustrated in George Swinton, Sculpture of the Inuit, (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1972/92), fig. 679, p. 221. See also Alistair Macduff and George M. Galpin, Lords of the Stone: An Anthology of Eskimo Sculpture, (North Vancouver: Whitecap Books, 1982), p. 96; See also Maria von Finckenstein, ed., Celebrating Inuit Art 1948-1970, (Gatineau: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 1999) p. 171 for other examples.