Vintage Inuit Hand Carved Soapstone "Sea Lion", Ca 1950's, #1539

Vintage Inuit Hand Carved Soapstone "Sea Lion", Ca 1950's, #1539

Description: #1539 Vintage Inuit Hand Carved Soapstone "Sea Lion", Ca 1950's. Signed in syllabics on bottom with >6-E91287. Tubak, Whelan Bay.

Dimensions: 8" x 2.5"

Condition: Good for age. Has some dings that it has acquired over the years.

Provenance: From the culturalpatina collection

"Inuit art refers to artwork produced by Inuit people, that is, the people of the Arctic previously known as Eskimos, a term that is now often considered offensive outside Alaska. Historically, their preferred medium was walrus ivory, but since the establishment of southern markets for Inuit art in 1945, prints and figurative works carved in relatively soft stone such as soapstone, serpentinite, or argillite have also become popular."

"Inuit sculptures had been produced prior to contact with the Western world. Today, Inuit continue to carve pieces entirely by hand. Power tools are occasionally used, but most artists prefer to use an axe and file, as this gives them more control over the stone. The final stage of carving is the polishing, which is done with several grades of waterproof sandpaper, and hours and hours of rubbing. The most common material is now soapstone, serpentine, either deposits from the Arctic, which range from black to light green in color, or orange-red imports from Brazil. Other material used in Inuit sculptures include, caribou antlers, ivory from marine mammals, and the bone of various animals". (Source: Wikipedia)