Lot 36
PAUTA SAILA, R.C.A. (1916-2009)
Additional Images
Provenance:
a Toronto private collection.
Note:
Pauta is justly famous for his magnificent bear sculptures (see Lot 11) but he did occasionally carve other animal subjects, birds in particular. Not surprisingly he treated them much as he handled his depictions of bears: with vigour and a certain heft. With this Owl Pauta was not interested in depicting plumage or even wings; the bird’s distinctive tail is carved as almost a muscular projection rather than as feathers. And as we have observed with other Pauta bird sculptures, Owl exhibits an interesting aesthetic affinity with the work of Latcholassie (Lot 57).
References: for another bird by Pauta see George Swinton, Sculpture of the Inuit (McClelland & Stewart, 1972/92), fig. 466. See also Walker’s May 2012, Lot 27; May 2016, 232; Nov. 2016, Lot 104.