The origin of this lovely sculpture is a bit of a mystery. It is carved in the distinctive talc-serpentine stone (sometimes called argillite) quarried on the Belcher Islands in southern Hudson Bay, and utilized by carvers from the neighbouring community of Kuujjuaraapik (Great Whale River) on the Nunavik mainland as well. A very similar work formerly in the Albrecht Collection was almost certainly by the same unidentified artist. However another sculpture, also quite similar if slightly less so and carved from a different stone, is attributed to an Inukjuak artist (see references). Pieces of Belcher Islands stone could have made their way as far as Inukjuak, so we suppose it is possible that the sculpture was created in any of the three communities. However our hunch is that this work was carved in Sanikiluaq. The highly distinctive slanted eyes are a stylistic feature that crops up repeatedly in Sanikiluaq carvings by various artists well into the mid 1960s. The deep-set, mask-like ivory faces of mother and child give this work a sober, mysterious quality that is quite compelling.

References: For a very similar work see Ingo Hessel, Arctic Spirit: Inuit Art from the Albrecht Collection at the Heard Museum (Phoenix: Heard Museum/Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2006), fig. 34. Another similar work attributed to an Inukjuak artist is illustrated in several publications: Jean Blodgett, Selections from the John and Mary Robertson Collection of Inuit Sculpture (Kingston: Agnes Etherington Art Centre, 1986) cat. 39; Canadian Eskimo Arts Council, Sculpture/Inuit (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1971) cat. 293; and George Swinton, Sculpture of the Inuit (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1972/92) fig. 295.