Fishing lure "pa kahawai" · New Zealand · ID: 3039333
sold
EUR 3,800
Provenance
probably Capitain James Cook, collected on his third voyage to the South Seas, 1776-1779/80Walter Stanley Schwab, Murten, Switzerland
Bernd Schlimper, Düsseldorf, Germany
Jean David, Zurich, Switzerland
Swiss Private Collection
Size
L: 12,5 cm
L: 4.9 inch
Description
wood, bone, haliotis shell, fibre, inscribed in black paint: “Cpt. Cook 1777” (faded/difficult to read), minor missing part at the rim, metal base;
a trolling lure for catching “kahawai”, a schooling fish which was abundant in North Island waters. The lure or spinner was dragged behind a fast-moving canoe, the haliotis shell flashing to attract the prey.
The object Fishing lure “pa kahawai” with the object ID 3039333 was part of the auction 81st Tribal Art Auction on October 31, 2015. The object with the lot number 109 achieved a sales price of EUR 3,800 with an asking price of EUR 3,000.
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Comparing literature
Hooper, Steven, Pacific Encounters, Norwich 2006, p. 130, ill. 68