Is this masterful bear the work of Amidlak, Elijassiapik, Eli Weetaluktuk, or someone else altogether? While the authorship of this snarling apex predator is a matter for scholarly debate, there is no questioning the undeniable charm of this Striding Polar Bear. The stunningly marbled stone, common to Inukjuak in the early 1950s, lends an almost cartographic feel to the bear, its striations resembling traced terrain. While the shape of the sculpture is elegant and sensuous, the bear retains its innate ferocity. There is no doubting the fact that this is a powerful creature on the prowl.

References: For works by the artists named, see: Amidlak (see First Arts, 12 July 2020, Lot 64); For Elijassiapik (see First Arts, 13 July 2021, Lot 95 and 5 December 2022, Lot 17); For Eli Weetaluktuk (see First Arts, 2 December 2024, Lot 104); See also Darlene Coward Wight, Early Masters: Inuit Sculpture 1949-1955, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2006), Amidlak pp 44-49, Elijassiapik pp 88-89, and Weetaluktuk pp. 62-69.