Polynesia, Fiji Islands, ca. 19th century CE. A handsome wooden canoe bailer, hand-carved from a single piece of wood to form a shallow basin with a broad leaf-like outline and a cylindrical horizontal handle at one end. It would have originally had a closed lower tip to contain the water. Bailers like this one were stored in the bilges of double-hulled canoes and performed a vital role in keeping the canoe afloat! Beyond its utilitarian purpose, this example when viewed from above has a fascinating, mask-like quality. Size: 8.4" W x 12.75" H (21.3 cm x 32.4 cm); 15" H (38.1 cm) on included custom stand.
See a similar example at the Horniman Museum (nn6197.5).
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex Norman Hurst collection, Cambridge, 2009
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#154513
Condition
Lower end is lost. Small chips, scratches, and nicks commensurate with age on the rest of the surface. Light deposits on surface, mainly in lower profile areas.