#58 • Fossilized Walrus Tusk & Baleen Totem - Lane A. Iyakitan

Part of Collection of Arthur Gross Day 1 (live auction by Alaska Premier Auctions & Appraisals)

High bid $90.00

Status: Sold

Category: Figural Carvings

A modern interpretation of a totemic spirit sculpture with a carved and incised fossilized walrus tusk shaman mask adorned with musk ox hair, an eagle, a salmon, a hand, a polar bear, a musk ox, a seal, and a walrus; some effigies featuring baleen or scrimshaw accents as photographed. All are mounted in a vertical arrangement upon a tall strip of baleen, which is further inset into a fossilized walrus tusk slice serving as the base. Signed on the underside for "LAI", believed to be for Yup'ik artist Lane A. Iyakitan (1929-2000) of St. Lawrence Island, Alaska. Measures approximately 3" x 1.5" x 7.75" tall.