DAVIDIALUK ALASUA AMITTU (1910-1976)
FIGURES ON A SLEEPING PLATFORM
5" x 19" x 12" — 12.7 x 48.3 x 30.5 cm.
November 17, 2014
Estimate $10,000-$15,000
Realised: $45,600
the dramatic telling of violence, survival, and legend.
European observers (explorers, naturalists, and ethnographers) were impressed by Inuit structures. Snow houses were considered ingenious, designed to keep the insulating snow cold and the inside of the house dry.
The houses usually included a porch, sometimes several chambers, and a communal sleeping platform was usually constructed at the back of the house. Family members slept together on a common sleeping platform, with the youngest child closest to the mother.
From a singular stone mass, Davidialuk’s “Figures on a Sleeping Platform” is a dramatic telling of violence, survival, and legend.
Inuit, First Nations & Métis Art
Waddington’s is internationally recognized as one of the leading authorities in marketing Inuit Art. No other auction house has been as intrinsically linked to the development of a market for this art form. From our first landmark auction in 1978 of the William Eccles Collection, Waddington’s has offered thousands of works, set record prices, and expanded the market well beyond Canada’s borders. Our legacy of successful Inuit Art auctions, our ability to achieve continually increasing values and our creation of an international market have been key factors in validating Inuit art as a whole and establishing it as an integral part of the Canadian Art scene.
Meet the Specialist
Duncan McLean
President, Senior Specialist