While the subject is unmistakably a hunting scene, the figure in this work carries no trace of the struggle that will unfold when the seal appears. Instead, this solitary man stands steady, his body leaning forward and poised in mid-action. His raised arm signals the motion of the spear that will follow, inviting us into the suspended instant before the strike. His presence extends into the surrounding space, drawing the viewer into the drama of anticipation. Without the hardship of the capture, this diminutive work becomes a meditation on hunting as an act of solitude, patience, and discipline, where endurance and focus define the hunter as much as the moment itself.

The man’s face, likely carved from limestone with features incised and darkened in graphite, tilts downward but his gaze lifts just enough to make us feel as though we are in the path of his concentration.

ND

References: For a Hunter similarly posed in the National Gallery of Canada, see Hunter, c. 1955, access. No. 39266, reproduced in Natasha McKenty, The National Gallery of Canada | A Diverse Canadian Experience, nd, blog post,

https://www.airsprint.com/assets/Uploads/News-Stories/The-National-Gallery-of-Canada-A-Diverse-Canadian-Experience/NGC___ResizedImageWzYwMCw4MjFd.39266_2400px.jpg, Accessed 3 Sept 2025. See also First Arts, 6 Oct 2022, Lot 44.