By Yvonne Bolduc; Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec; twentieth century; painted wood; 16.5 x 6.5 x 2 cm. CMC 74-201

Yvonne Bolduc is better known as a painter in the folk tradition, and some of her early carvings have only recently come to light. The daughter of a carpenter, she spent much of her childhood in her father's shop, absorbing and practising the art of woodworking. When the nearby highway was diverted to run right past the shop, the Bolduc family found that there was a market for small inexpensive carvings, both in relief and freestanding. Since 1923, Miss Bolduc has created a large number of these figures, often modelled on well-known radio characters who are readily recognizable to her customers. Women carvers are very rare in Canada, making this an unusual piece in that sense, but the masterful and humorous execution of the perpetually chilly lumberjack make it an outstanding work on its own merit.