Large Inuit Stone Carving of Hunter Consuming Seal (with Damage)

Regular price $160.00

Not for everyone I'm sure, but I find this quite a beautiful and powerful piece--and it's a huge one, 14 pounds of stone. I am pretty certain the subject here is a hunter consuming a freshly killed seal, the head of which seems already to have been cut. From what I have read, it would be traditional practice to consume certain parts of the seal at the site of the hunt raw, while the body of the seal was still warm, in turn warming the body of the hunter. It seems though that this sculpture speaks much more broadly to the deep connection between the Inuit people and seals historically, and traditional reliance on the seal for sustenance. The gentleness with which the figure holds the seal seems to me almost akin to as if holding a child, with arms wrapped around the shoulders and tail held between the toes.

10" tall x 7 1/4" w x 3 7/8" d. Approx 14 pounds. There is damage to one side of the piece, including some loss and a repair, which is visible when viewed from that side and from above at certain angles. However, displayed from the other side the damage is not at all visible.