Explore The Royal Family's close relationship with the region, as well as the diverse artistic traditions represented in the Royal Collection
Canadian Art in the Royal Collection
This sculpture fuses traditional Inuit materials of whalebone and greenstone with a profoundly British form – Her Majesty The Queen. The artist Osuitok Ipeelee likely worked from a Coronation portrait, depicting The Queen with an orb in her right hand, and a copper circlet on her head. However, he has departed from precedent in one significant respect – giving Her Majesty bare feet under her dress, a playful addition prompted by the fact that her shoes were not visible in the photographs he studied. The sculpture was presented by the artist during The Queen’s tour of Canada in 1959.
