This delightful group of three ivory figures reveals the particular attention early Labrador Inuit carvers paid to clothing and personal appearance. The central woman wears an amautiq, its generously rounded hood and decorated apron carefully distinguished from the simpler garments of her companions. Ingeniously pegged into the pouch of her amaut is a tiny infant. Beside her, a man lifts one leg dramatically and raises his arm as though preparing to throw a spear or harpoon, now missing. Each figure possesses a character of its own, conveyed through delicately incised features and subtle touches of pigment. Produced in Nunatsiavut during the late nineteenth century, these miniature ivories have a wonderful intimacy. Despite their small size, they preserve a wealth of detail about traditional clothing and the everyday lives of their makers.

MBL