A harpoon (unaaq) for walrus and seal hunting, adorned on the handle with a miniature seal bust carved and decorated with inlays. It's the carved walrus ivory tip that tells us that this sublime harpoon, a model of great rarity, was intended for hunting from the pack ice, unlike those designed for hunting from a kayak, as its walrus ivory tip was used to test the thickness of the ice. At the front of the harpoon, where the point was fitted, a magnificent whalebone weight is rigorously and masterfully carved, notably with three superimposed, finely sculpted relief fillets. The refinement of the carving, right down to the inlaying of the seal's eyes, nostrils and ears, its beauty, and the quality of the craftsmanship of each of the elements making up this harpoon, bear witness to an era and an art where hunting and the sacred were still intimately linked. Inuit, Alaska, U.S.A. Wood, marine ivory, missing right ear inlay, whalebone, walrus ivory, leather, intestine cord, very fine old patina. L.: 181.5 cm Provenance: - Probably from the former collection of Docteur Stéphen Chauvet - Jean Roudillon Collection and acquired from him