Pauta Saila, R.C.A., ᐸᐊ ᓯᓪ

Pauta Saila ᐸᐅᑕ ᓯᓚ, RCA (1916-2009), Kinngait (Cape Dorset) OWL, CA. 1964 stone , signed in Roman 14.5 x 12 x 6.5 in — 36.8 x 30.5 x 16.5 cm Provenance: The Snow Goose Gallery, Ottawa, ON, 1974 Private Collection, Charlottesville, VA Exhibited: Inuit Art from the Canadian Arctic, Bayly Art Museum, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 1994 Note: Pauta Saila only settled in Kinngait (Cape Dorset) later in life, when he was in his mid-40s. He became involved with the Cape Dorset Co-op not long after, and his works were included in some of the earliest Cape Dorset Annual Print Collections. Though best known for his sculpture of bears, the owl was an important early motif for Pauta, one which he represented in both two- and three-dimensional works. One of his first contributions to the Cape Dorset release was a print of an owl published in 1962. Owl prints by Pauta were included in the Cape Dorset release every year subsequently until 1969. It is easy to see the link between Pauta’s owls in print and this sculpture. A stonecut and an etching, both titled Owl and both made the same year as this sculpture, show similar aesthetic choices: the sturdy and wide-eyed bird perched on curled, almost spidery talons. It is as if the graphic images were carved into life in this sculpture. Of interest to collectors will be the age of this sculpture, dating to the earliest years of Pauta’s celebrated career, before he became known for his Dancing Bears. The stone is also remarkable, wonderfully dense and almost matte, absorbing light more than reflecting it. For another early sculpture by the artist, please see lot 156, an early example of a Dancing Bear, ca. 1965. Estimate: $3,000—4,000