Rare 18th C. Hawaiian Bone, Stone, & Shell Octopus Lure

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Exceptional Day 2: Pre-Columbian & Tribal Art...

By Artemis Gallery

Oct 3, 2019

Set Reminder 2019-10-03 10:00:00 2019-10-03 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Day 2: Pre-Columbian & Tribal Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-day-2-pre-columbian-tribal-art-4453
Day 2 of an important 2-day auction featuring exceptional, museum-worthy examples of Pre-Columbian from the ancient Americas, Native American, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Spanish Colonial and fossils. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  South Pacific, Hawaiian Islands, ca. late 18th to early 19th century CE. An early and extremely rare example of an octopus or squid lure (known locally as a "leho he'e"). The lure is comprised of a slender central wooden rod, a human bone hook secured via a small length of twisted sennet thread, and lengths of braided sennet thread that fasten a large cowrie snail shell as well as a hemispherical fragment of dark-grey volcanic stone to the middle of the pole. Octopus lures like this example were used by dipping the hook into shallow water and shaking it up and down. The jostling motion would entice an octopus to wrap its tentacles around the hook end, and then the fisherman would quickly pull the lure upward so as to pierce the creature's hard beak, soft body, or one of many tentacles. A fabulous and intriguing example of Hawaiian ingenuity! Size: 11" L x 4.5" W (27.9 cm x 11.4 cm).
  
  For a stylistically-similar example, please see The British Museum, museum number Oc1898,-.29: https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details/collection_image_gallery.aspx?assetId=781862001&objectId=505827&partId=1
  
  Another example can be see at The Auckland War Memorial Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira: https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/leho-he-e-squid-lure/GAG1M0oY4FiTNg
  
  Another example - this time with two hooks - can be see at The Cooper Hewitt Collection at The Smithsonian Design Museum, accession number 15.2012.43: https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/35520511/
  
  Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-Big Island, Hawaii, USA collection
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
  We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
  
  #148240

  Condition

  Volcanic stone and shell reattached to pole, with light adhesive residue behind stone and underneath some wrapped sennet fibers for stabilization. Human bone hook is removable. Minor nicks to wooden pole, stone, and shell, with light fraying and loosening to some sennet fibers, and small chips underneath shell. Nice patina throughout. Old inventory labels written in black ink atop white paint underneath both shell and stone.
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