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    Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: UNIDENTIFIED INUIT ARTIST, CENTRAL CANADIAN ARCTIC, Two Ivory Muskoxen, c. early to mid 1950s
    Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: UNIDENTIFIED INUIT ARTIST, CENTRAL CANADIAN ARCTIC, Two Ivory Muskoxen, c. early to mid 1950s
    Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: UNIDENTIFIED INUIT ARTIST, CENTRAL CANADIAN ARCTIC, Two Ivory Muskoxen, c. early to mid 1950s
    Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: UNIDENTIFIED INUIT ARTIST, CENTRAL CANADIAN ARCTIC, Two Ivory Muskoxen, c. early to mid 1950s
    Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: UNIDENTIFIED INUIT ARTIST, CENTRAL CANADIAN ARCTIC, Two Ivory Muskoxen, c. early to mid 1950s

    UNIDENTIFIED INUIT ARTIST, CENTRAL CANADIAN ARCTIC

    Two Ivory Muskoxen, c. early to mid 1950s
    each 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: $793.00

    Further images

    • (View a larger image of thumbnail 1 ) HISTORIC PERIOD INUIT ARTIST, EASTERN CANADIAN ARCTIC, Whistle, 1935 or earlier
    • (View a larger image of thumbnail 2 ) HISTORIC PERIOD INUIT ARTIST, EASTERN CANADIAN ARCTIC, Whistle, 1935 or earlier
    • (View a larger image of thumbnail 3 ) HISTORIC PERIOD INUIT ARTIST, EASTERN CANADIAN ARCTIC, Whistle, 1935 or earlier
    • (View a larger image of thumbnail 4 ) HISTORIC PERIOD INUIT ARTIST, EASTERN CANADIAN ARCTIC, Whistle, 1935 or earlier
    • (View a larger image of thumbnail 5 ) HISTORIC PERIOD INUIT ARTIST, EASTERN CANADIAN ARCTIC, Whistle, 1935 or earlier
    • Two Ivory Muskoxen
    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...
    Read more

    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.
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    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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FIRST ARTS PREMIERS INC.  
Nadine Di Monte   |    647-286-5012   |    info@firstarts.ca 

Ingo Hessel  |    613-818-2100   |    ingo@firstarts.ca

The main office of First Arts Premiers Inc. is located on the ancestral and traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Huron-Wendat, the original owners and custodians of this land.  Today, it is home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.

 

 

 

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