Makira, San Cristobal, Eastern Solomon Islands
Early 20th century
Turtle shell, pearlescent shell inlay
Height 8 in (20.3 cm)
Provenance: English private collection
The karemanua is a sea spirit associated with the waters around Makira, formerly known as San Cristobal, in the Eastern Solomon Islands. Described as a half-human, half-fish being, the spirit was understood as both dangerous and protective, capable of threatening canoes and fishermen while also guiding them toward bonito and the ancestral world. Figures of this type translate that spirit into a thin carved turtle shell silhouette, preserving the animated visual language recorded in early regional accounts.
This example shows the karemanua standing above a pair of fish while holding a third, with the fish-headed profile set with a small pearlescent shell inlay. The turtle shell has been worked to a thin, translucent surface, giving the figure a clear outline and lightness of form. The English provenance places the piece within the collecting tradition that brought Solomon Islands material to Britain from the late nineteenth century onward.
Please note: This is an ESA antique-exempt turtle shell object. It cannot be sold internationally or to buyers residing in California, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, or Washington. The piece is guaranteed to predate 1972.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Makira, San Cristobal, Eastern Solomon Islands
Early 20th century
Turtle shell, pearlescent shell inlay
Height 8 in (20.3 cm)
Provenance: English private collection
The karemanua is a sea spirit associated with the waters around Makira, formerly known as San Cristobal, in the Eastern Solomon Islands. Described as a half-human, half-fish being, the spirit was understood as both dangerous and protective, capable of threatening canoes and fishermen while also guiding them toward bonito and the ancestral world. Figures of this type translate that spirit into a thin carved turtle shell silhouette, preserving the animated visual language recorded in early regional accounts.
This example shows the karemanua standing above a pair of fish while holding a third, with the fish-headed profile set with a small pearlescent shell inlay. The turtle shell has been worked to a thin, translucent surface, giving the figure a clear outline and lightness of form. The English provenance places the piece within the collecting tradition that brought Solomon Islands material to Britain from the late nineteenth century onward.
Please note: This is an ESA antique-exempt turtle shell object. It cannot be sold internationally or to buyers residing in California, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, or Washington. The piece is guaranteed to predate 1972.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
