Ceremonial paddle ·  Austral Islands, Ra'ivavae · ID: 3036664

Description

wood, dark brown patina, delicate chip-carved patterns cover the blade and shaft, the conical handle terminus encircled by a row of human figures, slightly dam., minor missing parts (rim of the blade), metal base;
such paddles are said to have been used in dances or on occasion of state affairs when one chief visited another. Paddles of this highly decorated kind were perhaps the most collected objects in the Pacific in the first half of 19th century. Well over one thousand exist in collections, and research has shown that they were made during a dynamic period of activity by Ra’ivavae carvers around 1820 -1840.

The object Ceremonial paddle with the object ID 3036664 was last part of the auction 76th tribal art auction at March 22, 2014 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 67.

You can find more Paddles and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on Oceanian art.

Comparing literature

Hooper, Steven, Pacific Encounters, Art Divinity in Polynesia 1760-1860, Norwich 2006, p. 216, ill. 184