Elegant Inuit Carved Stone Polar Bear lidded box In part it is the

In part it is the completely painterly paint job that makes it great--looking quite like an abstract expressionist painting but at the same time very cow like

with some paint loss along the ridges of her carved body and a little cracking to the paint on her udder

tearing around the edges of the backing paper

with a lot of years on it

Elegant Inuit Carved Stone Polar Bear lidded box In part it is theAnother beautifully minimal Inuit carving, this one reminding me some of the work of Andy Miki (1918 1983; Arviat) in its graceful lines and elongated head (I've included one photo for reference) as well as in the light gray stone. It also shares a spirit I think with small 19th century Inuit tusk carved amulets from the Bering Sea area. To me it really feels as if walking very softly over ice, very gentle, and with a lovely, serene presence. 4 7 16"