Vanuatu (New Hebrides)
Mid-19th century
Wood, forged iron trade blade
Height: 53 in (134.6 cm)
Provenance: Abe and Paula Rosman, New York
Hafted axes from Vanuatu combining locally made wooden handles with introduced iron trade blades reflect the incorporation of European materials into existing weapon and prestige-object traditions across the southwestern Pacific. The long shaft gives this example an unusually commanding presence, the blade set at the upper end and the haft terminating in a carved and bound foot. Objects of this type moved between registers of tool, weapon, and exchange object depending on context, their value tied to both the material of the blade and the craftsmanship of the haft.
The iron blade retains its original form, set into the haft with binding that remains intact at the junction. The shaft has darkened throughout to a deep warm tone through age and handling, the wood carrying a patina consistent with the mid-nineteenth century date. Abe and Paula Rosman were prominent anthropologists with deep expertise in Oceanic material culture, and objects from their collection carry the weight of informed acquisition.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Vanuatu (New Hebrides)
Mid-19th century
Wood, forged iron trade blade
Height: 53 in (134.6 cm)
Provenance: Abe and Paula Rosman, New York
Hafted axes from Vanuatu combining locally made wooden handles with introduced iron trade blades reflect the incorporation of European materials into existing weapon and prestige-object traditions across the southwestern Pacific. The long shaft gives this example an unusually commanding presence, the blade set at the upper end and the haft terminating in a carved and bound foot. Objects of this type moved between registers of tool, weapon, and exchange object depending on context, their value tied to both the material of the blade and the craftsmanship of the haft.
The iron blade retains its original form, set into the haft with binding that remains intact at the junction. The shaft has darkened throughout to a deep warm tone through age and handling, the wood carrying a patina consistent with the mid-nineteenth century date. Abe and Paula Rosman were prominent anthropologists with deep expertise in Oceanic material culture, and objects from their collection carry the weight of informed acquisition.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
