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Artworks
POSSIBLY AISA QUPIRUALU ALASUA (1916-2003) PUVIRNITUQ (POVUNGNITUK)
Alighting Goose , 1950sstone, ivory, and graphite, 4 x 4.5 x 2.75 in (10.2 x 11.4 x 7 cm)
unsigned.LOT 2
ESTIMATE: $2,000 — $3,000
PRICE REALIZED: $2,196.00Further images
James Houston undertook his first buying trip to Puvirnituq in April 1950, and Qupirualu tried his hand at carving right away. A June 1951 article “Eskimo Sculptors” by Houston in...James Houston undertook his first buying trip to Puvirnituq in April 1950, and Qupirualu tried his hand at carving right away. A June 1951 article “Eskimo Sculptors” by Houston in The Beaver illustrates an Owl Protecting Nest by “Koopeekoolik”; retitled Angry Owl (by “Kopeekolik”), it also graced the cover of the 1954 government publication Canadian Eskimo Art. That Owl’s outstretched wings and jutting ivory feet certainly resemble those of Alighting Goose, so a case could be made for an attribution to Qupirualu. And as Qupirualu’s Owl is enriched by its ivory eyes, Alighting Goose is rendered quite remarkable for its graceful ivory neck and head.
Provenance
Canadian Guild of Crafts, Montreal;
Acquired from the above by a Private Collection, Ottawa;
by descent in the family;
Acquired from the above by an Ottawa Collection.
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