Rare Canoe Prow Ornament, Marquesas Islands

Rare Canoe Prow Ornament, Marquesas Islands
length 14in (35.5cm)

Provenance
Richard I.M. Kelton Collection, Marina del Rey, California

Finely carved, most likely without the use of metal tools, in a slightly reclined posture with legs joining at the base where it once attached to a larger prow element; the arms held closely at his side framing a protruding abdomen; the proportionally-large head resting on the shoulders; the face with distinctive Marquesas features with large circular eyes below high-arching brows above a diminutive broad nose above a broad mouth and framed by large curved pierced ears [the right now missing]; the head with two protruding circular elements and a hole at the top with hair tuft remnants, another in the back with a tuft of hair inserted; the front of the body decorated with finely incised linear design; original, unpolished dark-brown patina with wear indicative of significant age.