Lot 169
Thomas Sockpick (Native Alaskan / Inupiaq, Shishmaref, b. 1969). Untitled whale bone sculpture with baleen inlays, n.d. Signed with city, state, and zip code on verso. A fascinating sculpture by Shishmaref artist Thomas Sockpick, hand-carved from the flipper bone of a whale and adorned with baleen inlays and 5 stylized maskettes. The flaring sculpture is set on a whale bone base. Size: 11.5" W x 12.5" H (29.2 cm x 31.8 cm)
According to Arctic Spirit Gallery, "Thomas Sockpick is an Inupiaq Eskimo born to Davis and Edna Sockpick in Nome, Alaska, on June 3, 1969. His father is from Shishmaref and his mother from Wales, another tiny village near Nome. His Eskimo name is Maqiaqtuq meaning 'one without a diaper.' Thomas attended school in Shishmaref. The small community is noted for generations of traditional carvers, men who carve ivory, antler, whalebone and baleen. Thomas learned whalebone carving from his elders. He is noted for his masks and works primarily with the fossilized whalebone disks. Whalebones are washed up on the beach and after sloughed off the whale vertebrae and through time, aging and weathering are found and used for carving. His three-dimensional work, like his wonderful dancers, are carved on a full whale vertebra enabling him to carve a human face on both sides. He uses modern Dremel tools, adzes, files and drills to create his work. Thomas considers himself a subsistence hunter and hunts seals and birds in their season. One hundred miles north of Nome, the land spit where Shishmaref is located has been under assault from stormy seas in recent years and has been rapidly eroding."
Please note this item falls under the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act and is not eligible for international shipping. Native American, Alaska Native, & Native Hawaiian objects are only eligible to ship within the United States.
This is an ESA antique exempt piece of whale bone ivory and cannot be sold internationally or to anyone residing in the states of California, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Washington.
Provenance: private Don Phelps collection, owner Todos Santos Trading Post, Alamo, California, USA, before 2000
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#180325
- Condition: Signed with city, state, and zip cone on verso. Some chipping to top periphery, as well as natural ossification and pitting to stone. Otherwise, intact and excellent with nice preservation of detail.
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