Solomon Islands
Early 19th century
Wood
Length 21⅝ in (54.9 cm)
Provenance: William Ohly, Berkeley Galleries, London, and Abbey Museum, Hertfordshire, UK; thence by descent
Tapa beaters were essential tools in the preparation of barkcloth across the Pacific. They were used to soften and work the inner bark of the paper mulberry or breadfruit tree into a pliable textile surface through sustained rhythmic beating. In the Solomon Islands, barkcloth served both practical and ceremonial purposes, and the tools used in its making were functional objects shaped with care.
This example has an elongated wooden form shaped for grip, repetition, and extended use. The surface has worn smooth through handling, with the wood darkened to a deep warm tone over time. Its provenance through William Ohly, Berkeley Galleries, and the Abbey Museum places it within an established mid-twentieth-century British collecting context for Pacific material.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Solomon Islands
Early 19th century
Wood
Length 21⅝ in (54.9 cm)
Provenance: William Ohly, Berkeley Galleries, London, and Abbey Museum, Hertfordshire, UK; thence by descent
Tapa beaters were essential tools in the preparation of barkcloth across the Pacific. They were used to soften and work the inner bark of the paper mulberry or breadfruit tree into a pliable textile surface through sustained rhythmic beating. In the Solomon Islands, barkcloth served both practical and ceremonial purposes, and the tools used in its making were functional objects shaped with care.
This example has an elongated wooden form shaped for grip, repetition, and extended use. The surface has worn smooth through handling, with the wood darkened to a deep warm tone over time. Its provenance through William Ohly, Berkeley Galleries, and the Abbey Museum places it within an established mid-twentieth-century British collecting context for Pacific material.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
