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Artworks
UNIDENTIFIED INUIT ARTIST, CENTRAL CANADIAN ARCTIC
Two Ivory Muskoxen, c. early to mid 1950seach ivory and black inlay, 1.5 x 2.25 x 0.75 in (3.8 x 5.7 x 1.9 cm) and smaller
each unsigned.LOT 141
ESTIMATE: $600 — $900
PRICE REALIZED: $793.00Further images
When one thinks of Inuit Art, the great tradition of small carved ivory miniatures comes to mind as a style within the genre; delicate and skilled handling can translate some...When one thinks of Inuit Art, the great tradition of small carved ivory miniatures comes to mind as a style within the genre; delicate and skilled handling can translate some of the largest Arctic fauna into something to be held in the palm of your hand. The chunky proportions and form of this pair are reminiscent of the many muskoxen carved by Mark Tungilik, an artist known for his own distinctive miniature style. With each of these muskoxen sporting a charming little smile, you can’t help but smile yourself!
References: For further, charming examples of ivory miniatures, see the First Arts exhibition, Little Worlds: The Norman Hallendy Collection of Ivory Miniatures, 1 November 2021. See a variety of ivory miniatures from Repulse Bay, including a Muskox, by Mark Tungilik, in Jean Blodgett, Repulse Bay, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1978). See a variety of early ivory miniatures in Walker’s Auctions, 13 Nov. 2011, Lot 66.Provenance
Collected by a federal government administrator during his travels in the Eastern and Central Arctic in the 1950s;
by descent in the family.
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