Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia
1820 to 1840
Wood
Height: 12 1/2 in.
31.8 cm
Provenance: Australia trade
Fans were carried by prominent individuals of both sexes in the Marquesas as marks of social status. They were displayed at feasts and public gatherings, where their visual effect was shaped by the way they were held and presented. The woven blades were attached to dagger-like wooden handles known as keʻe, which became an important field for Marquesan carving.
This handle carries multiple tiki figures arranged in pairs, shown back-to-back and stacked vertically. The figures are carved with the eyes, brow ridges, and body proportions associated with early 19th-century Marquesan keʻe production. An unusual lizard image appears at the base of the handle, distinguishing this example from more standard tiki-only compositions.
Marquesan artists produced some of the most inventive small-scale carving in Polynesia. On fan handles of this type, stacked ancestor figures have been interpreted as genealogical statements as well as protective presences for the carrier. This example, dated to 1820 to 1840, entered the market through the Australia trade.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia
1820 to 1840
Wood
Height: 12 1/2 in.
31.8 cm
Provenance: Australia trade
Fans were carried by prominent individuals of both sexes in the Marquesas as marks of social status. They were displayed at feasts and public gatherings, where their visual effect was shaped by the way they were held and presented. The woven blades were attached to dagger-like wooden handles known as keʻe, which became an important field for Marquesan carving.
This handle carries multiple tiki figures arranged in pairs, shown back-to-back and stacked vertically. The figures are carved with the eyes, brow ridges, and body proportions associated with early 19th-century Marquesan keʻe production. An unusual lizard image appears at the base of the handle, distinguishing this example from more standard tiki-only compositions.
Marquesan artists produced some of the most inventive small-scale carving in Polynesia. On fan handles of this type, stacked ancestor figures have been interpreted as genealogical statements as well as protective presences for the carrier. This example, dated to 1820 to 1840, entered the market through the Australia trade.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
