Syllabic Translator

i u a pi pu pa ti tu ta ki ku ka gi gu ga mi mu ma ni nu na si su sa li lu la ji ju ja vi vu va ri ru ra qi qu qa ngi ngu nga lhi lhu lha

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Manasie Akpaliapik, ᒪᓇᓯ ᐊᐸᓕᐊᐱ

OWL WITH RAISED TALON


MANASIE AKPALIAPIK (1955-)
OWL WITH RAISED TALON

bone, musk ox horn
17.5 x 16 x 10 in — 44.5 x 40.6 x 25.4 cm


Provenance:
Private Collection, Toronto

Literature:
Heather Igloliorte, "Whale Bone Sculpture Playing Against Type" in Sandra Dyck and Ingo Hessel (eds.), Sanattiaqsimajut, Inuit Art from the Carleton University Art Gallery Collection, Carleton University Art Gallery, Ottawa, 2009, page 89.

"Whale bone is undoubtedly one of the most challenging raw materials available to Inuit artists. As a carving medium, it is brittle, porous, and hard, and must be aged fifty to a hundred years before it is suitable for carving, thereby demanding that artists scour beaches and scavenge nineteenth century whaling sites for the oldest sources available.

Despite these challenges, the rewards for its use are equally great. Whale bone enables artists to create large scale sculptures that draw on its unique shapes and material properties, often highlighting the evocative contours of the monumental vertebrae, or exploiting its highly expressive and varied textures, which can variously mimic fur, fabric or human skin... and evoke a sense of the ancient with its weather worn appearance".

Estimate: $3,000–5,000

Auction Results

Auction Date Auction House Lot # Low Est High Est Sold Price
2019-05-27 Waddington's 45 3,000 5,000 9,000.00

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