Compared with the brief but impressive outpouring of stone sculptures from Salluit in the 1950s, ivory carvings from this period are quite rare. One similarly sized and proportioned work that comes to mind is illustrated in George Swinton’s Sculpture of the Inuit (1972/92), fig. 410; note the similarity in the delineation of parka trim, with thin inked lines. The work in Swinton is charming if somewhat naïve in style and workmanship, while Standing Woman, Plaiting her Hair is a stunningly beautiful little sculpture. The woman’s overall slim proportions and very slight tilt reflect the shape and curvature of the walrus tusk from which she was carved, but the delicacy with which her various parts and details are rendered is due to the skill and talent of her maker. We would be remiss if we did not point out the remarkable similarity between this gem and the imposing Standing Woman Holding her Braids by Alacie Sakiagaq, which graced the cover of our 12 June 2023 catalogue cover (Lot 62). It’s an amazing coincidence that these two masterpieces, likely carved by the same female artist from Salluit, should turn up within months of each other.

References: For a contemporaneous ivory carving of a mother and child (and a match standing man) from Inukjuak, see Gerald McMaster, ed., Inuit Modern: The Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 2010), p. 66. For a Woman Standing from c. 1955 by Sheokjuk Oqutaq from Cape Dorset see Gerald McMaster, ed., Inuit Modern: The Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 2010), p. 157.