Lot 29
POSSIBLY ISA OOMAYOUALOOK (1915-1976) INUKJUAK (PORT HARRISON)
Man Inflating an Avataq (Sealskin Float), late 1950s

stone and waxed string, 3.5 x 3.23 x 4.25 in (8.9 x 8.2 x 10.8 cm)
unsigned.

Provenance
Ex Collection of Mr. Gerry Moses; Bequeathed to Ms. Barbara Mercer, Toronto;
Estate of the above.

Oomayoualook was a prolific Inukjuak carver in the very early 1950s. He probably carved more of the curious Inuit “totem poles” than any other artist; in later years he typically carved figures of hunters in various pursuits. Man Inflating an Avataq is quite similar to several seated figures known to be by or attributed to this artist. It’s a charming work, generous in proportions despite its small size; the sealskin float is not the only thing that looks well inflated! The avataq is a float made from the skin of an entire seal; it is attached to a harpoon line and used when hunting large marine mammals.

References

See the section on Isa Oomayoualook in Darlene Coward Wight, Early Masters: Inuit Sculpture 1949-1955 (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2006), pp. 50-59. See also Walker’s Auctions, Ottawa, May 2016, Lot 146; and November 2017, Lot 221.