19th C. Fijian Wood Canoe Bailer
**Originally Listed At $2250**
Polynesia, Fiji Islands, ca. 19th century CE. A handsome wooden canoe bailer, hand-carved from a single piece of wood to form a shallow basin with a broad leaf-like outline and a cylindrical horizontal handle at one end. It would have originally had a closed lower tip to contain the water. Bailers like this one were stored in the bilges of double-hulled canoes and performed a vital role in keeping the canoe afloat! Beyond its utilitarian purpose, this example when viewed from above has a fascinating, mask-like quality. Size: 8.4" W x 12.75" H (21.3 cm x 32.4 cm); 15" H (38.1 cm) on included custom stand.
See a similar example at the Horniman Museum (nn6197.5).
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex Norman Hurst collection, Cambridge, 2009
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
#154513
Condition Report: Lower end is lost. Small chips, scratches, and nicks commensurate with age on the rest of the surface. Light deposits on surface, mainly in lower profile areas.
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**Originally Listed At $2250**
Polynesia, Fiji Islands, ca. 19th century CE. A handsome wooden canoe bailer, hand-carved from a single piece of wood to form a shallow basin with a broad leaf-like outline and a cylindrical horizontal handle at one end. It would have originally had a closed lower tip to contain the water. Bailers like this one were stored in the bilges of double-hulled canoes and performed a vital role in keeping the canoe afloat! Beyond its utilitarian purpose, this example when viewed from above has a fascinating, mask-like quality. Size: 8.4" W x 12.75" H (21.3 cm x 32.4 cm); 15" H (38.1 cm) on included custom stand.
See a similar example at the Horniman Museum (nn6197.5).
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex Norman Hurst collection, Cambridge, 2009
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
#154513
Condition Report: Lower end is lost. Small chips, scratches, and nicks commensurate with age on the rest of the surface. Light deposits on surface, mainly in lower profile areas.
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Time, Location
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