JOHN PANGNARK (1920-1980) ARVIAT (ESKIMO POINT)
Figure Holding an Implement, c. 1972
stone and antler, 8.5 x 6 x 5.5 in (21.6 x 15.2 x 14 cm), measurements reflect width with inset tool, without: 4.5 in (11.4 cm)
unsigned.

ESTIMATE: $8,000 — $12,000

Provenance
Collection of Mr. Stanley and Mrs. Jean Zazelenchuk, New Brunswick.

Figures by Pangnark with any sort of attachment are extremely rare. In fact, the only other example that comes to mind is Figure with Amulet, dated 1976 but likely carved somewhat earlier, exhibited in the 1985 Winnipeg Art Gallery show Uumajut: Animal Imagery in Inuit Art. [1] In that sculpture the walrus tusk amulet is almost certainly in the form of a bear’s head. In our example the antler accessory is more amorphous in shape, club-like rather than knife-like. While its use or meaning remains enigmatic, the figure’s gesture is positively emphatic. The figure brandishes the object like a weapon; his minimalist facial features assume an almost malevolent intensity. Remarkable.

1. Bernadette Driscoll, Uumajut: Animal Imagery in Inuit Art (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1985), cat. 87, p. 98.

References: For another Pangnark sculpture with an attachment, Figure with Amulet from c. 1976(?), see Bernadette Driscoll, Uumajut: Animal Imagery in Inuit (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1985), cat. 87, p. 98.