I am completely taken with this the sculpture, which, like so much of the best Inuit art, holds a range of gestures and emotions in balance in a beautiful, and nuanced way. To me, this figure--with wonderfully broad shoulders echoing the breadth of one lowered and one raised knee--appears almost buddha-like in his posture and poise, while his one cocked foot asserts complete engagement with his surroundings and readiness to rise at any moment.

A number of years ago, upon seeing a selection of them in Documenta 13,  I fell madly in love with so called "Bactrian princesses" -- small ancient stone carved figurines made between the late third and early second millennia B.C. in an ancient civilization of western Central Asia. (look them up, they are phenomenal!) Though this Inuit carving is of a male figure, they are the first thingI thought of when I saw him--for the compact silhouette and elegant lines of the body for sure, but also for the sense of self-possession and a sort of serene power. Perhaps I project too much, but I really think this is a marvelous piece!

4 1/2" tall x 4 1/2" wide x 1 1/4" deep. The is a 4 character syllabic signature carved just to the left of his foot, and a "disc number" 1G91-2 carved into the base--which would date him between approximately 1940-1970.  Very good condition, no chips or cracks, just a bit of irregularity to the surface of the stone.