Nauru, Micronesia
Circa 1890
Plaited fiber, coral bead, feathers, dried leaf fringe
Height: 14 inches (35.6 cm); Width: 10 inches (25.4 cm) including frame
Provenance: Purchased from Sacred Heart Mission, SVD, Hiltrup, Germany, 1963; L. Van Busel, Amsterdam, 1963; Anne Vanderstaete, Brussels, 1966; Zaira and Marcel Mis, Brussels; Marcuson and Hall, Brussels; old museum collection label present
Maternity pendants from Nauru belong to a body of women's fiber art that is among the most technically accomplished in Micronesia, produced for use during pregnancy and childbirth as objects of protection and ceremonial significance. This example is woven in a bold chevron pattern of alternating natural and dyed black fiber, with a single coral bead suspended at the upper center and a fringe of dried leaf strips and dark feathers at the lower edge. The Sacred Heart Mission SVD in Hiltrup acquired this piece in 1963 at the close of the mission's presence in Micronesia, a withdrawal that followed the post World War I transfer of German island territories.
Four subsequent European collections in Amsterdam and Brussels document over five decades of careful custody, constituting one of the more complete chains of ownership for a Nauruan fiber object outside institutional holdings. An old museum collection label remains attached, consistent with early institutional inventory practice, and the intact feather and leaf fringe reflects the object's well preserved condition.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Nauru, Micronesia
Circa 1890
Plaited fiber, coral bead, feathers, dried leaf fringe
Height: 14 inches (35.6 cm); Width: 10 inches (25.4 cm) including frame
Provenance: Purchased from Sacred Heart Mission, SVD, Hiltrup, Germany, 1963; L. Van Busel, Amsterdam, 1963; Anne Vanderstaete, Brussels, 1966; Zaira and Marcel Mis, Brussels; Marcuson and Hall, Brussels; old museum collection label present
Maternity pendants from Nauru belong to a body of women's fiber art that is among the most technically accomplished in Micronesia, produced for use during pregnancy and childbirth as objects of protection and ceremonial significance. This example is woven in a bold chevron pattern of alternating natural and dyed black fiber, with a single coral bead suspended at the upper center and a fringe of dried leaf strips and dark feathers at the lower edge. The Sacred Heart Mission SVD in Hiltrup acquired this piece in 1963 at the close of the mission's presence in Micronesia, a withdrawal that followed the post World War I transfer of German island territories.
Four subsequent European collections in Amsterdam and Brussels document over five decades of careful custody, constituting one of the more complete chains of ownership for a Nauruan fiber object outside institutional holdings. An old museum collection label remains attached, consistent with early institutional inventory practice, and the intact feather and leaf fringe reflects the object's well preserved condition.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
