-
Artworks
JOHN TIKTAK, R.C.A. (1916-1981) KANGIQLINIQ (RANKIN INLET)
Head, c. 1967stone, 4.5 x 4.75 x 3 in (11.4 x 12.1 x 7.6 cm)
signed, "ᑎᑕ".LOT 10
ESTIMATE: $5,000 — $8,000
PRICE REALIZED: $6,100.00Further images
When we look closely at the faces of Tiktak’s works carved throughout the 1960s, we realize that their styles evolved considerably during that decade. The faces of Tiktak’s earliest works...When we look closely at the faces of Tiktak’s works carved throughout the 1960s, we realize that their styles evolved considerably during that decade. The faces of Tiktak’s earliest works have features that are slight and simplified. By the late 1960s Tiktak was gouging raw facial features with electric drill bits. The most refined heads and faces date from mid-decade. This fine small Head presents a placid, almost mask-like carved face resembling that of a large standing figure once owned by James Houston. [1] The shallow depression around the eyes – looking almost like a reverse pair of snow goggles – accentuates the bulge of the cheeks. The head’s upward tilt, and thus the face’s heavenward gaze, lend a spiritual aspect to the work.
1. Illustrated in Maria von Finckenstein ed., Celebrating Inuit Art 1948-1970, (Hull: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 1999), p. 177.
For important depictions of heads by Tiktak see First Arts May 2019 Lot 12 and First Arts 1 Dec. 2020 Lot 16. See also Ingo Hessel Arctic Spirit: Inuit Art from the Albrecht Collection at the Heard Museum, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre/Phoenix: Heard Museum 2006), p. 136 (also shown in Walker’s Auctions Ottawa Nov. 2015 Lot 51). The Eskimo Art Collection of the Toronto-Dominion Bank, (Toronto 1972), cat. 46. George Swinton Sculpture of the Inuit (Toronto: M&S 1972/92), figs. 648, 650. Norman Zepp Pure Vision: The Keewatin Spirit, (Regina: Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery 1986), pp. 96-107.
Provenance
Purchased at the Rankin Inlet Craft Shop by a Private Collection, Vancouver, in 1968;
Walker's Auction, 18 May 2017, Lot 180;
Acquired from the above by the present Important Private Collection, Toronto.
Join Our Mailing List
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.