Walrus with Flipper in a Salute

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This walrus is carved from a marble-like piece of fossil walrus ivory, the dark color indicating that this tusk was likely found underwater.  The tusks are new ivory and the eyes are inlaid baleen.  Akeya has a particular talent for reducing extraneous detail and focusing on those elements of the animal that convey a particular character or emotion.  Here the eyes and flippers are the focus with the rear flipper raised as if in a salute, imbuing this piece with a sense of whimsy.