The Canada Auction

June 0409, 2022
Auction begins to close at 8:00 pm ET

Online Auction
LOT 90

Lot 90

MANASIE AKPALIAPIK Lᓇᓯ ᐊᐸᓕᐊᐱ (b. 1955)

MANASIE AKPALIAPIK Lᓇᓯ ᐊᐸᓕᐊᐱ (b. 1955)
Lot 90 Details
MANASIE AKPALIAPIK Lᓇᓯ ᐊᐸᓕᐊᐱ (b. 1955), Akulivik

MASK WITH SEAL SPIRIT

catlinite, whalebone, stone
signed in syllabics, ca. 1995
14.25 x 12.25 x 2.5 in — 36.2 x 31.1 x 6.4 cm

Estimate $2,500-$3,500

Realised: $2,400
Price Includes Buyer's Premium ?

Lot Report

Additional Images
MANASIE AKPALIAPIK Lᓇᓯ ᐊᐸᓕᐊᐱ (b. 1955)
  • MANASIE AKPALIAPIK Lᓇᓯ ᐊᐸᓕᐊᐱ (b. 1955)
  • MANASIE AKPALIAPIK Lᓇᓯ ᐊᐸᓕᐊᐱ (b. 1955)
  • MANASIE AKPALIAPIK Lᓇᓯ ᐊᐸᓕᐊᐱ (b. 1955)
Provenance:

Acquired directly from the artist, ca. 2000

Note:

We are pleased to present six exceptional works by Manasie Akpaliapik in this auction. Purchased directly from the artist in the mid-late 1990s, each represents a significant element of the artist’s practice, exemplifying the fertility of imagination and astounding range of technical achievement for which he has become known.

Carved in low relief, in Mask with Seal Spirit, Manasie, working with shamanic imagery traditional to the Western Arctic, has carved a representation of a mask bedecked with an attendant spirit. Two outswept hands flank an image of a seal, each with incised circles on their palms. Such circular engravings on appendages are often present on shamanic masks. In 1880 during his time among the Indigenous inhabitants of the Bering Strait, Edward Wilson Nelson recorded that the “hole was placed in the palm so that the spirit of a bird would release the game, permitting the hunter to obtain it.” [1]

The mask-like form has been carved from an exceptional slab of naturally-occurring red catlinite, a stone with sacred associations, long employed primarily by central North American Indigenous peoples in the fabrication of bowls for ceremonial smoking pipes.

(1) Dorothy Jean Ray, Eskimo Masks Art and Ceremony, (Seattle & London: University of Washington Press, 1975), 67


Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported. Please do not hesitate to contact one of our specialists for further details.

CONDITION DETAILS

Minute loss to catlinite at junction of mounting fixture, overall very good condition.

Please contact the specialist for further condition information.

LOT 90
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About Condition Ratings

  • 5 Stars: Excellent - No discernable damage, flaws or imperfections
  • 4 Stars: Very Good - Minor flaws or imperfections visible only under close inspection using specialised instruments or black light
  • 3 Stars: Good - Minor flaws visible upon inspection under standard lighting
  • 2 Stars: Fair - Exhibits flaws or damage that may draw the eye under standard lighting
  • 1 Star: Poor - Flaws or damage immediately apparent under standard lighting (examples: missing components, rips, broken glass, damaged surfaces, etc.)

Note: Condition ratings and condition details are the subjective opinions of our specialists and should be used as a guide only. Waddington’s uses due care when preparing condition details, however, our staff are not professional restorers or conservators. Condition details and reports are not warranties and each lot is sold “as is” in accordance with the buyer’s terms and conditions of sale. In all cases the prospective purchaser is responsible for inspecting the property themselves prior to placing a bid.