Anthropomorphic figure of shamanic transformation, Thule culture Early Eskimo, 18th century or earlier Marine ivory L. 6 cm Thule shamanic figure L. 2 3/8 in Provenance: - Former Jeffrey Myers collection, New York - Galerie Yann Ferrandin, Paris - Former private collection, France Anthropomorphic figure in a posture of flight or shamanic struggle. This sculpture, imbued with ardour, movement and dramatic intensity, can be read as an evocation of the journey undertaken by the shaman as he enters into trance. Ready to symbolically leave his human and carnal envelope, we imagine him ready to rise towards horizons inaccessible to ordinary mortals. The fluidity of the lines, the striking expressiveness of the facial features and the tension of the posture are remarkable here. This figure emanates an intense poetic charge.

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