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Artworks
UNIDENTIFIED INUIT ARTIST, Probably INUKJUAK (PORT HARRISON) OR SANIKILUAQ (BELCHER ISLANDS)
Fisherman with Catch, c. early 1950sstone, bone, ivory, soap, string, and black pigment, 9.75 x 5.5 x 3 in (24.8 x 14 x 7.6 cm)
unsigned.LOT 6
ESTIMATE: $5,000 — $8,000
PRICE REALIZED: $5,124.00
9 June 2025Further images
The early 1950s became a period of great artistic experimentation in Arctic communities as more and more Inuit tried their hands at carving. Early efforts from Nunavik are particularly interesting...The early 1950s became a period of great artistic experimentation in Arctic communities as more and more Inuit tried their hands at carving. Early efforts from Nunavik are particularly interesting as many artists explored how inlays could enhance or embellish their stone works. Faces carved from ivory, bone, antler, or stone (and often detailed with ink) provided lifelike contrast when set into dark stone figures. To depict the decorative touches seen on Inuit clothing, some carvers ingeniously pressed soap into grooves carved into their works, as is the case here. The Inukjuak or Sanikiluaq artist who carved this Fisherman successfully integrated multiple materials (including ivory for the lovely fish) to create a visually striking and highly appealing sculpture.
Reference: For a possibly related work see First Arts, 5 Dec. 2022, Lot 76; that work is also illustrated in Canadian Eskimo Arts Council, Sculpture / Inuit: Masterworks of the Canadian Arctic, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1971), cat. 293; George Swinton, Sculpture of the Inuit, (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1972/92), fig. 295; and Jean Blodgett, Selections from The John and Mary Robertson Collection of Inuit Sculpture, (Kingston: Agnes Etherington Art Centre, 1986), cat. 39, reproduced p. 60 and front cover.Provenance
Private Collection, Toronto.
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