Paddle, 19th century ·  Austral Islands, Ra'ivavae · ID: 3048030

Description

wood, pigment, minor missing parts, base

This paddle captivates with the elegance of its form and the delicate chip-carved patterns covering the whole object.

These elaborately crafted objects were not used in the conventional sense. Rather, they are said to have been used in dances or on occasions of state when one chief visited another.

These paddles have been coveted collectors’ items already since the first half of the 19th century.

Comparing literature

Hooper, Steven, Pacific Encounters, Norwich 2006, p. 216