Carved Whalebone Walrus

Carved Whalebone Walrus
fossilized whalebone, fossil walrus ivory
12"h x 13"w x 7"d

Ronald Apangalook, a Siberian Yup’ik artist from the village of Gambell, Alaska, created this fanciful, finely carved sculpture. This wonderful piece is created from fossilized whalebone and fossil walrus ivory. Ronald finds unique pieces of whalebone and has a talent for incorporating the color and variations of the whalebone into his overall design to evoke movement and add depth to his work.

Ronald carved this lively walrus utilizing the distinctive features of this broken fossilized whalebone vertebrae to full advantage.  His carving emphasizes the thick, tough hide of a walrus at the same time complementing the natural patterns of the whalebone and contrasting piece used as a base of the sculpture. Ronald used carved fossil ivory for the tusks.

This work exemplifies Ronald's fine attention to detail, ability to work with a variety of materials and his sophisticated carving technique. Ronald’s Eskimo name is Qaygeghutkaq (shortened to Qay), literal translation “put on top”. This work is signed Qay.

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