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Artworks
POSSIBLY ELIJASSIAPIK (1912-1972) INUKJUAK (PORT HARRISON)
Polar Bear, mid 1950sstone and ivory, 3 x 6.5 x 2.25 in (7.6 x 16.5 x 5.7 cm)
unsigned.LOT 3
ESTIMATE: $1,000 — $1,500
PRICE REALIZED: $2,928.00Further images
There has been much discussion regarding the identity of the carver of this fine polar bear, which certainly shows a strong family resemblance to early 1950s works by the great...There has been much discussion regarding the identity of the carver of this fine polar bear, which certainly shows a strong family resemblance to early 1950s works by the great Elijassiapik. [1] While its authorship is uncertain, there is no doubt about the incredible beauty of this sculpture. The combination of the gorgeous marbled green stone used in these years and the brilliant execution of the bear is pure magic. Ivory was used only for the fine set of teeth; we can’t help wondering whether the bear is snarling or smiling.
1. See First Arts, 13 July 2021, Lot 21, and Darlene Wight, Early Masters: Inuit Sculpture 1949-1955, (Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2006), p. 88, and elsewhere.Provenance
Collected by a federal government administrator during his travels in the Eastern Arctic in the 1950s;
by descent in the family.
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