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A Beautiful Inuit Ivory Carving of a Polar Bear browse these categories for related items... Directory: Vintage Arts: Regional Art: Americas: Eskimo: Pre 1980: item # 944083 Please refer to our stock # ICHI 3197 when inquiring.
Ichiban Japanese & Oriental Antiques Post Office Box 395 Marion, CT 06444-0395 203.272.7392 Guest Book 975.00 |
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This is a remarkable piece of carving by an Inuit (Eskimo) carver made from a single tooth of a whale or walrus tusk ivory. It is so incredibly simple yet powerful that it very much reminds me of a sculpture by the great master, Brancusi – see footnote **. It has the same graceful flow that characterizes Brancusi’s work – yet clearly defines the subject in an unmistakable manner. There can be no doubt that this is a polar bear. The piece measures 6 ¼” high including the base - the curve causes it to be 3” wide – the base of the ivory is 2 ¼ by” 1 1/2” wide. It is affixed to a beautiful wooden stand 1 3/8” high. The ivory bear is 5” high excluding the wooden base. We do not know if the carver signed the piece on the base – and are not willing to separate the wooden base from the ivory to find out. Regardless of the carver’s identity, it remains a superb example of Inuit art. We date it to the second half of the twentieth century – quite possibly earlier. It is in mint condition and is just starting to acquire the lovely tan patina of ivory. ** Constantin Brâncuşi (1876 -1957) was an internationally renowned Romanian sculptor whose works, which blend simplicity and sophistication, led the way for numerous modernist sculptors. |
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