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 the sale of Inuit and First Nations art. No other auction house has been as intrinsically linked to the development of the market for art by Canada's Indigenous people. From our first landmark auction in 1978 of the William Eccles Collection to our development of the free online resource Katilvik in 2006, Waddington’s has offered thousands of works, set record prices, and helped to build a robust international market.
Meet the Specialist
Duncan McLean
President, Senior Specialist