Mota, Banks Islands, Vanuatu
19th century
Wood, fiber
Length: 34¼ in (87 cm)
Provenance: Reuben Reubens Collection, London; American private collection
Model canoes from the Banks Islands of Vanuatu were produced as fully resolved representations of the full-size outrigger canoes used for inter-island travel, fishing, and exchange across the northern Vanuatu archipelago. Objects of this type required the same knowledge and skill as their full-size counterparts, the maker replicating the hull form, outrigger assembly, and lashing details at reduced scale with consistent accuracy. The London and American provenance places this piece within a collecting history spanning two continents over the course of the twentieth century.
The model retains its outrigger booms, float, and fiber lashing intact, the full structural assembly preserved. The hull is well-formed, the wood darkened throughout to a consistent tone through age, the fiber lashing tight and coherent across all connection points. Canoe models of this origin and completeness, retaining their outrigger assemblies in original condition, are seldom encountered on the market.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Mota, Banks Islands, Vanuatu
19th century
Wood, fiber
Length: 34¼ in (87 cm)
Provenance: Reuben Reubens Collection, London; American private collection
Model canoes from the Banks Islands of Vanuatu were produced as fully resolved representations of the full-size outrigger canoes used for inter-island travel, fishing, and exchange across the northern Vanuatu archipelago. Objects of this type required the same knowledge and skill as their full-size counterparts, the maker replicating the hull form, outrigger assembly, and lashing details at reduced scale with consistent accuracy. The London and American provenance places this piece within a collecting history spanning two continents over the course of the twentieth century.
The model retains its outrigger booms, float, and fiber lashing intact, the full structural assembly preserved. The hull is well-formed, the wood darkened throughout to a consistent tone through age, the fiber lashing tight and coherent across all connection points. Canoe models of this origin and completeness, retaining their outrigger assemblies in original condition, are seldom encountered on the market.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
