Lot 326
GEORGE TATANIQ (1910-1991)
Lot 326 Details
GEORGE TATANIQ (1910-1991), Baker Lake / Qamani’tuaq
MAN HUNTING BY KAYAK
stone, wood
signed in syllabics and inscribed with disc number, early 1960s
with / without paddle: 2" x 9.75" x 4" — 5.1 x 24.8 x 10.2 cm.; 2" x 9.75" x 1" — 5.1 x 24.8 x 2.5 cm.
Estimate $400-$600
Additional Images
Literature:
Norman Zepp, Pure vision: the Keewatin spirit, 1986, page 121
Note:
According to Zepp, in 1960, Tataniq became ill with tuberculosis and subsequently spent three years in a sanatorium. These hospitals operated handicraft therapy programs. The primary occupational activities were carving for the men and sewing for the women.
Lot 326 was likely created during Tataniq’s time as an inpatient. In this relatively unadorned work, the exception being a small wood paddle, the sculpture has been carved from a single piece of stone. The torso of the hunter emerges from his vessel and culminates into a hood tip that is immediately recognizable in Tataniq’s later works. Likewise, in the treatment of the face, with its subtly defined nose and mouth below two great eyes, one can see an obvious continuity between this early sculpture and Tataniq’s more mature style.