Where some depictions of Arctic wildlife can be simply illustrative of the species, certain artists take the time to depict the life and habits of the animals they are carefully recreating. This portrayal of a pair of caribou, amazingly small in person, captures the gentle, delicate grace of the animals as if they were real. The standing caribou takes a small, half step forward while the other is settled on the ground with legs folded under. Both sport dainty antlers, further pointing to an artist with an incredibly skilled and patient hand.

References: For brief introductions to carved ivory miniatures, see Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / New York: Harry Abrams / London: British Museum Press, 1998), pgs. 16-27. See also Jean Blodgett, Grasp Tight the Old Ways: Selections from the Klamer Family Collection of Inuit Art, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 1983), p. 250-251. See also Winnipeg Art Gallery, Inuit Ivories From The Collection, (Winnipeg, Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1992). For further, charming examples of ivory miniatures, see the First Arts exhibition, Little Worlds: The Norman Hallendy Collection of Ivory Miniatures, 1 November 2019. See a prancing ivory Caribou, from Kimmirut in Bernadette Driscoll, Baffin Island, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1983), cat. 61, p. 109.