Inuit Whale Bone / Soapstone Sculpture Figure & Birds

**Originally Listed At $300**

Native American / First Nations, Northwest Coast United States, Alaska or Canada, Inupiaq/Inuit people, ca. mid-20th century CE. A hand carved sculptural scene of a soapstone man and 2 birds- mounted via wood and bone pegs to a whale bone base. The base is signed "Animalia" and "IV:17096" with 3 wooden support legs. Whale bone sculpture requires the use of older bone that has dried and ossified - new bone will splinter and be too oily to carve- hence the wonderfully aged and weathered appearance- with lichens attached to the underside. Size: 9" L x 6" W x 5.75" H (22.9 cm x 15.2 cm x 14.6 cm)

Please note this item falls under the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act and is not eligible for international shipping. Native American, Alaska Native, & Native Hawaiian objects are only eligible to ship within the United States.

Provenance: private Greenwood Village, Colorado, USA collection

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#181766
Condition Report: Smallest bird is repaired, wing reattached with visible break line. Unclear if the statues are all original with the bone base due to the number of peg holes. Figures are removable and can be rearranged. Underside is signed.