Buka Island, Bougainville, Papua New Guinea
19th century
Wood
Height 66¼ in (168.3 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Auckland, New Zealand
Buka Island lies in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, within the northern Solomon Islands archipelago. Paddles from this region are recognized for the carved face placed at the widest point of the blade, a feature that connects the object to the ancestral and spiritual dimensions of canoe travel. The form circulated widely through early Pacific collections, partly because of its distinctive profile and figural presence.
The blade tapers symmetrically to points at both ends, with the carved face positioned at the broadest register and oriented toward the user. The face gives the paddle a direct figural quality while preserving the long, functional line of the object. The wood has developed a warm patina through age and handling, and the Auckland provenance places the piece within the New Zealand collecting history of Pacific material.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Buka Island, Bougainville, Papua New Guinea
19th century
Wood
Height 66¼ in (168.3 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Auckland, New Zealand
Buka Island lies in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, within the northern Solomon Islands archipelago. Paddles from this region are recognized for the carved face placed at the widest point of the blade, a feature that connects the object to the ancestral and spiritual dimensions of canoe travel. The form circulated widely through early Pacific collections, partly because of its distinctive profile and figural presence.
The blade tapers symmetrically to points at both ends, with the carved face positioned at the broadest register and oriented toward the user. The face gives the paddle a direct figural quality while preserving the long, functional line of the object. The wood has developed a warm patina through age and handling, and the Auckland provenance places the piece within the New Zealand collecting history of Pacific material.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
