VICTORIA MAMNGUQSUALUK (1930-2016) QAMANI'TUAQ (BAKER LAKE)

Untitled Wall Hanging (Owl Descending on Arctic Hares), c. 1980

duffle, felt, floss, and thread, 25.5 x 27.5 in (64.8 x 69.8 cm)

signed, "ᒪᒍᓯᐊᓗ".


ESTIMATE: $600 — $900


Provenance

A Montreal Collection.



This work is deceptively simple: an owl with outstretched wings surprises its prey, a pair of arctic hares. The tone on tone stitching of this work shows Mamnguqsualuk’s eye for detail and patience as a textile artist. The owl’s feathers are precise linear stitches down its body; its claws are bright and threatening against the dark background, while the hare’s subtle pop of pink gives a hint of their surprise. Their wide eyes, highlighted further in black thread against their white and pink fur, show the prey’s alarm at the situation. While their wish may be to run off the wall, Mamnguqsualuk’s subtle blanket stitching ensures that this scene is frozen in place.



References: For examples of wall hangings by Mamnguqsualuk see Ingo Hessel, Arctic Spirit: Inuit Art from the Albrecht Collection at the Heard Museum, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / Phoenix: Heard Museum, 2006), cats. 110, 185; Marion Scott Gallery, Works on Cloth: Imagery by Artists of Baker Lake, Nunavut, (Vancouver: 2002), pp. 26-27; Walker’s Auctions, Ottawa, May 2012, Lot 79; Nov. 2015, Lot 143; Nov. 2016, Lot 42.

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