ULAYU PINGWARTOK; KENOJUAK ASHEVAK; OVILU TUNNILLIE; SHARNI POOTOOGOOK; M. SAMUELLIE; ANIRNIK OSHUITOQ; ISHUHUNGITOK POOTOOGOOK; PUDLO PUDLAT; SOROSILUTO ASHOONA; PITSEOLAK ASHOONA
A COLLECTION OF FABRIC SAMPLES: LITTLE HAWKS; DANCING GEESE; TUMBLING BIRDS; GOSLINGS; FISH AND SHADOWS; LOVERS; FABULOUS GEESE; BIRDS IN FLIGHT; SPIRITS AND BIRDS; MERMAID LEGEND; SNOWY OWL; TIKTALIKTA; SUMMER GEESE; PTARMIGAN
most printed with “Title, Artist, West Baffin Eskimo Co-op, Cape Dorset, N.W.T., registered 1967”,
attached tags: Cape Dorset Eskimo Fabrics, Design No., Repeat, Artist, Fabric, Canadian Arctic Producers Ltd., Winner of the Design 67 Award granted by the National Design Council and the Department of Industry
sizes vary, largest 48" x 28" — 121.9 x 71.1 cm.
May 30, 2017
Estimate $1,000-$1,500
Realised: $10,200
This lot set an unprecedented price at auction.
A collection of experimental fabrics made in Cape Dorset (Kinngait) in the 1960s was discovered in a box in an attic – likely sealed and forgotten some 50 years ago.
Waddington’s Specialist dug through the musty box of linen and canvas not knowing what to expect only to uncover up to 20 esoteric designs including the Little Hawks motif in blue which ended up gracing the cover of the Spring 2017 Inuit art catalogue.
Catching the interest of museums looking to acquire them for public display, private Inuit art collectors looking for unique and rare items, private textile collectors both familiar with and previously unfamiliar with the existence of these fabrics and art dealers looking to resell to their top clients.
Literature:
Leslie Boyd, “Sanaunguabik – The Place Where Things are Made”, from In Cape Dorset We Do It This Way: Three Decades of Inuit Printmaking, 1991, page 16-22
Note:
Boyd explains, Textile design and fiber arts:
A result of the interest generated by an exhibition of Inuit-inspired fabric designs at Expo 67 in Montreal, Inunoo Limited was incorporated in 1969 to act as a marketing agency for Cape Dorset fabric designs.
Ultimately, manufacturing textiles in the North proved too expensive for an industry renowned for cheap labour and low production costs. As well, the studio’s esoteric designs found only a limited market.
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