Few things are more rewarding when cataloguing than an object that makes one reconsider an earlier conclusion. We had previously offered this sculpture as attributed to Paul Arnakyuinak's wife, the noted sculptor Yvonne Kanayuq Arnakyuinak. Looking at it again, however, we are less convinced.

Such uncertainty is hardly surprising. In the early years of carving for sale, authorship was not always recorded with today's precision. A family member might bring a work to the co-op and a name be supplied there, with far less emphasis placed on individual attribution than collectors and scholars now expect.

The present work certainly recalls Yvonne Kanayuq in its rounded, apple-cheeked faces and soft modelling. Yet such traits need not be hers alone. Artists working side by side, particularly spouses, often shared approaches to carving. Yvonne became the better known sculptor of the pair, while published examples of Paul's work are exceedingly scarce, making the possibility of his authorship especially intriguing.

Whatever the hand, the sculpture is a treasure. The mother rises in a tall, columnar form, her long legs and broad body giving the group a strong upward sweep. High at her side, the child tips outward with legs dangling freely, while the mother’s broad arms curve across her body to hold it securely. Knees, feet, and hood push outward in playful accents. The faces add much of the charm. The mother lifts her head with a small smile, while the child beams beside her, almost jauntily suspended at her shoulder. From the side, the group becomes more sinuous as shoulder, elbow, hip and child swell and recede from the central form.

Given the intimacy of the subject, one wonders whether Arnakyuinak may have had Yvonne Kanayuq and one of their own children in mind.

ND