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Barnebys HQ
Brahegatan 10
BOX 5038
114 37 Stockholm
All auctions / Ethnographic / CEREMONIAL OR PRESTIGE PADDLE - Lot 51
CEREMONIAL OR PRESTIGE PADDLE Melanesia, Solomon Islands 19th century Wood with pigments and a beautiful patina resulting from age and use; old European varnish. L. 151.5 cm Provenance: - David Petty Collection, United Kingdom Publication: - Meyer, Anthony JP, *The Art of the Solomon Islands & Works of Art from the Pacific Islands*, TEFAF 2011, exhibition catalog, Galerie Meyer, Paris, 2011, p. 14, fig. no. 7. A large paddle of exceptional quality, masterfully carved with janiform ancestral heads and adorned on the blade with a rare depiction of a sea spirit. The two heads located just below the handle are depictions of the figureheads of the canoes used by headhunters, or guzunguzu. The figure of the sea spirit features leaping dolphins in place of feet, a frigatebird’s head forms its tail, a fish skeleton constitutes its internal organs, large frigatebirds take the place of the hands, and, extending from each elbow, there are extensions composed of fish bodies. Its head takes the form of a whale, with a large caudal fin at the back, as well as the blowhole and the jet of air located at the top of the skull. The sea spirit is associated with rainbows as well as dangerous waterspouts.
Estimate:$34,427.46
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Estimate:
$34,427.46
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