Widely regarded by collectors as one of the preeminent, if not the preeminent, ivory carvers, Floyd Kingeekuk Sr. embodies a tradition in which artistic mastery is inseparable from lived experience. Much like Kananginak Pootoogook and other celebrated figures in Canadian Inuit art, Kingeekuk’s ability to render wildlife with precision was not merely a product of technical skill but one refined through years spent immersed in the Arctic landscape. His artistry developed through the rhythms of subsistence hunting, tracking wildlife, studying their movements, and engaging in the intimate knowledge-sharing that underpins both survival and artistic expression.

This Harbour Seal Basking on an Ice Floe exemplifies the hyperrealism for which the artist is celebrated. Every detail of the seal’s anatomy is rendered with an acute sensitivity to realism: the smooth curve of its body, the subtly rounded muzzle, and the perfectly scaled flippers contribute to a lifelike presence that belies its small size. The fine stippling and intricate ring patterns of the fur, achieved through delicate incision and staining, closely mimic the harbour seal’s natural pelage.

While this little fellow may be diminutive in scale, he carries a delightful heft. With his rounded form and perfectly poised flippers, he basks atop a delicately sculpted ice floe, itself carved from a slab of tusk. There’s something undeniably charming about the way he lounges, as if he’s just settled in for a well-earned rest.

Nadine Di Monte