Description:

A commanding and important masterwork in carved whale bone by the renowned Igloolik artist Bart Hanna, titled Sea Goddess and executed in the 1980s to 1990s, measuring an impressive 38 1/2 inches tall with a footprint of 18 inches by 10 inches. This museum-scale sculpture presents the Inuit Sea Goddess theme with a powerful, spiraling composition that reads beautifully from every angle, the figure turning in a dramatic torsion as her flowing hair and fin forms sweep rearward in layered, ribbed strands. The porous, weathered surface of the whalebone is handled with great sensitivity, alternating finely rasped planes and crisply incised details to describe the scaled tail, the forward-wrapping arms, and the rhythmic fluting of the tresses and fins.
Viewed front-left, the torso rises in a graceful S-curve with confident modeling of the chest and shoulders, while the left flank reveals a deeply channeled cascade of hair and a shield-like fin terminating at a darker natural inclusion that adds striking visual contrast. The reverse continues the whirl of motion, the hair carved into long, tapering ribbons that flare outward above the diamond-patterned tail, and the proper right side shows the figure’s arm drawn across the abdomen as the body resolves into a stable, oval pedestal.
The artist’s signature Bart Hanna and community Igloolik are neatly incised to the base, accompanied on the opposite face by an inscription in Inuit syllabics, and the work is offered with its original Canadian authenticity tag hand-filled Bart Hanna - Igloolik - Sea Goddess, confirming the title, artist, and period.
The overall presence is monumental and sculpturally sophisticated, a benchmark example of late 20th century Inuit carving where theme, scale, and material converge to create a work of exceptional authority suitable for institutional or top-tier private collections.
Condition is attractive and consistent with the medium and age - scattered natural pits inherent to whale bone, a few expected age lines including a visible vertical check along the left flank, minor edge wear and tiny losses to some thin hair elements, localized fills and adhesive residue at the base and isolated areas where the artist or a conservator stabilized the surface - all stable and unobtrusive to display.
A rare opportunity to acquire a major signed and certified whale bone Sea Goddess by Bart Hanna - an iconic subject in Inuit art and a statement piece for any serious collection.

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April 5, 2026 11:00 AM EDT
Stouffville, ON, CA

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$3,000 $9,999 $250
$10,000 $49,999 $500
$50,000 $99,999 $1,000
$100,000 $999,999 $5,000
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