Yupik Baleen Frond by Alvin Aningayou

Scrimshawed baleen frond by Alvin Aningayou (Siberian Yupik, b. 1969). Alvin Aningayou is a Siberian Yupik scrimshander and ivory carver from the community of Gambell, on St. Lawrence Island, in Alaska. He is an award-winning artist known for his lifelike seals and highly detailed scrimshaw. Aningayou was a 2008 United States Artists Fellow, and his work is held in prestigious public and private collections, including the de Young Museum in San Francisco. This baleen frond has been “reverse scrimshawed” and features several images that highlight Aningayou’s skills and artistic vision. From the tip of the frond, it features the word “ALASKA” in capital letters, a pair of Walruses, the State of Alaska, a Spotted Seal on an ice floe and three Spotted Seals swimming underwater, and a pair of Bowhead Whales swimming with five Belugas. The frond is signed “A. Aningayou” in cursive in the bottom right hand corner. Aningayou’s skill with hyper-realism is on full display in this piece, and his ability to show shimmering light through the water around the Seals and on the backs of the Whales is especially impressive with baleen as the medium. This is a scrimshaw masterpiece. 39"