YUP'IK DOLL

Jay C. Leff, Uniontown, Pennsylvania, acquired by the 1970s

Sotheby's, New York, October 22 and 24, 1983, lot 384, consigned by the above

James Economos, New York, acquired after the above auction

Private Collection, New York, acquired from the above in the 1980s

James Economos, Santa Fe, acquired from the above

Sotheby's, Paris, Art Eskimo et de Colombie Britannique. Collection James Economos, June 11, 2008, lot 34

Alaska on Madison, New York, acquired at the above auction

George Terasaki, New York, acquired from the above

Doll-like wooden and ivory figures such as the present lot sometimes served as playthings but they also often had significant and profound symbolic meanings. Such figures were carved, for example, when a couple was not able to have children. In these cases, the figures would be regularly fed and cared for. When members of the community were not able to be present during certain festivals, similar figures served as stand-in representations. During the Doll Festival, such objects were essential to ensuring a successful year of hunting and fishing. Special attention was given to the rendering of facial expressions, while the torsos were left unadorned, ensuring durability and easy handling (Fitzhugh and Kaplan, Inua: Spirit World of the Bering Sea Eskimo, Washington, D.C., 1983, pp. 156-157.)