-
Artworks
ENNUTSIAK (1893-1967) IQALUIT (FROBISHER BAY)
Bible Study, c. 1959stone and antler, 4 x 9 x 3.5 in (10.2 x 22.9 x 8.9 cm)
unsigned.LOT 77
ESTIMATE: $12,000 — $18,000
PRICE REALIZED: $19,200.00Further images
Although originally from Nunavik, Ennutsiak migrated to southern Baffin Island by umiak as a young man. He lived on the land for several years before settling in Iqaluit (then Frobisher...Although originally from Nunavik, Ennutsiak migrated to southern Baffin Island by umiak as a young man. He lived on the land for several years before settling in Iqaluit (then Frobisher Bay) and was one of the first Inuit to make a living off his art by trading with the servicemen working the DEW Line. Ennutsiak is best known for his depictions of communal activities arranged tableau-style on a single piece of stone. In many respects Ennutsiak deserves credit as a documentarian, preserving for future generations powerful images of a way of life that was experiencing rapid change. His subject matter varied quite widely but concentrated mainly on communal scenes of camp life, traveling on the land, and hunting.
The introduction of Christianity to the Inuit began in the later 19th and early 20th centuries. The rapid changes brought about by increased contact with Southern traders, missionaries, and teachers challenged many longstanding Inuit beliefs. Despite initial resistance, Christianity rapidly spread throughout the Arctic and churches and missions were established in all the major settlements and trading posts. Prior to the missionaries Inuktitut had been solely an oral language, and the missionaries understood that to teach the bible, a literacy project was in order. A syllabic system initially developed to spread the word of Christianity to the Cree was adapted to Inuktitut, as the two languages shared similar sounds.
Bible Study is a touching study of a family of five engaged in reading the scriptures. We witness a tender family moment in which the parents and their older children are seated with bibles open, while the youngest child sits by. Perhaps one of the adults reads aloud while the others follow along or listen in. Bible study was a recurring theme for Ennutsiak, who carved versions ranging from intimate private devotions to larger communal prayer meetings.
References: Similar subjects by the artist in George Swinton, Sculpture of the Inuit, (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1972/92), fig. 45, 521; Jacqueline Fry, The Bessie Bulman Collection: An Exhibition of Contemporary Eskimo Sculpture, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1973), cat. 31, unpaginated. Also illustrated in Bernadette Driscoll, Baffin Island, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery), cat. 32; Gerald McMaster, ed., Inuit Modern: The Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 2010), p. 83; Ken Mantel et al., Tuvaq: Inuit Art and the Modern World, (Bristol, UK: Sansom and Company Ltd., 2010), fig. 161, p. 164.Provenance
Waddington’s Auctions, Toronto, Nov. 1990, Lot 691a;
Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Toronto.
Join our mailing list
* denotes required fields
We will process the personal data you have supplied in accordance with our privacy policy (available on request). You can unsubscribe or change your preferences at any time by clicking the link in our emails.