Solomon Islands
Circa 1902
Wood, shell inlay, custom period base
Length 49½ in (125.7 cm); height 19¼ in (48.9 cm), not including base
Provenance: Michael Graham Stewart, Auckland, New Zealand
Model canoes from the Solomon Islands were produced with considerable care during the early colonial period, often for presentation, exchange, or collection in connection with visiting European officials and naval vessels. This example is associated with the 1902 visit of HMS Dart, a Royal Navy schooner active in hydrographic survey work across the Australia Station. Its making belongs to a documented moment of contact between island communities of the western Pacific and the British naval presence in the region.
The canoe follows the high prow form associated with Solomon Islands war canoes, with shell inlay arranged across the hull in controlled geometric patterning. The scale allows the maker to preserve the visual vocabulary of the full sized vessel, while the custom period base indicates that the object was intended for display from an early stage. As a presentation model, it stands between maritime form, local craftsmanship, and the history of colonial era collecting in the Pacific.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Solomon Islands
Circa 1902
Wood, shell inlay, custom period base
Length 49½ in (125.7 cm); height 19¼ in (48.9 cm), not including base
Provenance: Michael Graham Stewart, Auckland, New Zealand
Model canoes from the Solomon Islands were produced with considerable care during the early colonial period, often for presentation, exchange, or collection in connection with visiting European officials and naval vessels. This example is associated with the 1902 visit of HMS Dart, a Royal Navy schooner active in hydrographic survey work across the Australia Station. Its making belongs to a documented moment of contact between island communities of the western Pacific and the British naval presence in the region.
The canoe follows the high prow form associated with Solomon Islands war canoes, with shell inlay arranged across the hull in controlled geometric patterning. The scale allows the maker to preserve the visual vocabulary of the full sized vessel, while the custom period base indicates that the object was intended for display from an early stage. As a presentation model, it stands between maritime form, local craftsmanship, and the history of colonial era collecting in the Pacific.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
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