Attributed to JOHNNY INUKPUK, R.C.A (1911-2007) INUKJUAK (PORT HARRISON)
Crawling Hunter with Knife and Spear, c. 1952
stone, walrus tusk, and soap inlay, 4 x 12.25 x 6 in (10.2 x 31.1 x 15.2 cm), measurements reflect dimensions without implements unsigned.

Provenance
Important Private Collection, Canada.

This fabulous early figure of a hunter must have been carved by one of the great “early masters” of Inukjuak art. A good case could be made that the work is by the hand of Akeeaktashuk (1998-1954), whose figures of hunters are deservedly famous. The sculptural form and details of the body and parka do make sense, but we have not seen a sculpture by the artist with this type of highly distinctive and expressive face. Another possibility is Isa Smiler, whose tremendous Standing Mother and Child (Lot 21) graces the cover of this catalogue but, once again, the face puts this attribution into question for us.

We suggest an attribution to Johnny Inukpuk, based primarily on the sculpture’s facial features. We note the distinctive shape and size of the inlaid eyes and their large pupils; the delicately incised eyebrows; the careful shaping of the prominent nose; and the expressive mouth with inlaid teeth. With virtually no precisely contemporaneous works by Inukpuk (save a fabulous Mother and Child dated 1952 in the Power Collection at the University of Michigan, seen online), we had to extrapolate backwards from the important Johnny Inukpuk sculptures dating from 1954-55 to see the strong similarities – but of course by then Inukpuk’s overall style had evolved, and he was carving different stone. See our online references for comparable works by Inukpuk and others.

Regardless of the attribution, this Crawling Hunter with Knife and Spear is one of the finest very early 1950s hunters we have seen, certainly comparable to the greatest examples by Akeeaktashuk. Its confident sculptural form, finish, details, and energy are simply superb. The hunter’s pose is rare as well for this early period; see Lot 74 for a fine late 1950s Puvirnituq Crawling Hunter.

References: For a Johnny Inukpuk Mother and Child from 1952 with similar facial features, in the Power Family Collection at the University of Michigan Museum of Art, see online: exchange.umma.umich.edu, cat. No. PG2018.28. See also his Mother and Son, c. 1952 in Walker’s Auctions, May 2012, Lot 10. For slightly later works see Darlene Coward Wight, Early Masters: Inuit Sculpture 1949-1955, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 2006), pp. 82, 86.