Pacific Islands Folk Art

Large Early Papua New Guinea Carved Coconut Scoop or Spoon with Figure Scoop is 3 x 4 3/4 x 4 3/4", on custom wood and metal base total height 7 1/2 ...

A superbly executed carved and painted Crocodile Headrest from the Sepik region of Papua new Guinea The crocodile image finely carved in linear form with serrated tail with the cane Legs, the crocodile is revered and is a important part of the mythology of the Sepik region and features heavily in Sepik art...

A Tonga Pakipaki war club, Polynesia, 18th century An exceptional ironwood war club originating from Tonga, Polynesia. 18th century and hand carved with complex geometric patterns running the length of the shaft. 4 human and 1 botanical glyphs and a extra carving, see details in picture 2 The Tongan war club...

This striking early 20th century tapa bark cloth from Western Samoa and the greater Tongan cultural sphere is a rare and powerful example of Pacific Island textile artistry. Hand-pai...

Impressively carved from a single block of wood, this monumental male spirit or ancestor figure originates from the Middle Sepik region of Papua New Guinea. The figure combines stron...

Early Papua New Guinea Sepik tightly woven raffia mask from a talipun bride price currency. Areas of white, black and red pigments. Wonderful heart shaped face with open eyes and mouth. This mask or face would have been tied to a large shell which was the currency used...

A pair of Papua New Guinea Mendi wooden war shields on custom stands from the mid-20th century. This pair of war shields originate from the Mendi region, within the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. These oceanic war shields were not only created for protecting oneself for tribal warfare, but also in ancestral and ritual worship. They are adorn in various motifs, coloring and symbolism, intended to protect the carrier from magic and bring fear to the opponent. The shields are displayed upright on a custom black iron Stand, with the tallest of the set standing at a height of over 4.5 ft tall. This pair of Papua New Guinea shields...

Early Papua New Guinea Sepik light wood yam mask. Elegant flame shaped form, old, oxidized wood with black accents, traces of yellow and white pigments. Small...

Vintage Papua New Guinea Tribal Tapa Cloth A striking vintage tapa cloth from Papua New Guinea, handcrafted from natural barkcloth and decorated with traditional tribal motifs. Made...

Impressive hand carved wooden shield by the Asmat people of Papua New Guinea, featuring bold symmetrical motifs and traces of original white and dark pigment. The elongated form is crowned by a stylized ancestral figure, giving the piece a strong sculptural and ceremonial presence. Asmat shields...

Created by the Massim Peoples from Trobriand Islands off New Guinea. A standing animal wood sculpture, probably of a tree kangaroo with shell eyes. Finely incised designs on parts ...

mid-20th century Tami Islands Papua new guinea wooden feast bowl Of classic form, each end carved with raised and incised imagery depicting stylized sea cr...

Early Papua New Guinea Sepik tightly woven raffia mask from a talipun bride price currency piece. Old very encrusted surface. Areas of red and other pigments. Wonderful heart shaped...

This striking piece of Samoan Tapa cloth speaks to the history of the South Pacific islanders who have made these beautiful barkcloth artworks for generations and with it's repeating...

Yua Shell Currency, Bride’s Price Sepik River Region, Papua New Guinea Hand carved from a clam shell Measures: 7 x 7.5 in / 18 x 19 cm Height on cus...

Early Papua New Guinea painted Maprik carved hard wood mask. Mid-20th century, with wonderful curved expressive asymmetrical face. Long nose with pierced septum. Faded polychrome pig...

Tapa cloth made from mulberry fiber with natural pigments, Fiji, mid-20th century.

Early Papua New Guinea Sepik River area tightly woven raffia yam mask with areas of heavy yellow and black pigments. In profile small bird beak form at bottom...

A Ceremonial Mask Wood Pentecost Island, Vanuatu Early 20th Century Size: 32cm high, 11cm wide, 7.5cm deep - 12½ ins high, 4¼ ins wide, 3 ins deep Provenance: Ex Private coll...

Large dark reddish brown carved wood mask with underlying traces of red pigment, from New Guinea Sepik River Area. Strong downward looking expression, carved fringe edges. Signs of...

Yua Shell Currency, Bride’s Price Sepik River Region, Papua New Guinea Hand carved from a clam shell Measures: 7.5 x 8.5 in / 19 x 22 cm Height on c...

19th century throwing club, ula, Fiji A heavy throwing club made of dense hardwood with the handle finely carved with geometric motifs and an unexpected detail on the ball head - se...

Two Oceanic ceremonial weapons from PNG highlands circa 20th century. It consists of two pieces. The first is an ax with a wood shaft and a flat elongated he...

A ritual artifact from the tribe of the Asmat poeple, an ethnic group of New Guinea living in the Papua province of Indonesia and South-western regions of Papua New Guinea, bis or bisj pole is carved out of a wild Mangrove tree and can reach a stunning height Their carvings depict stacked human and animal figures standing and on top always phallic symbols, in the shape of a canoe prow. Bis poles...

Ceremonial Club with Shell Inlay, Solomon Islands A club with a rough hewn tapering shaft, which flares into a flattened paddle shape. The flat rim is inlaid with a double row of tr...

Late 19th-early 20th Bailer shell pectoral, Highlands, possibly Mendi People, Papua New Guinea These large shell pectorals were worn ceremonially by men and women in Papua New Guine...

Early Papua New Guinea painted Maprik carved hard wood mask with long curved tongue. Mid-20th century, Provenance: ex Michael Hamson, CA with label on back. Classic Maprik colo...

Tapa dance shield. Baining People, New Britain, Papua New Guinea. First half, 20th century Pounded mulberry bark painted with natural pigments Measure...

Decorative coral sculpture. The coral is from the 1970s and has a beautiful light colored green shade. Medium size coral sculpture.

A fine, older Melanesian ebony wood carving. From the Trobriand Islands. In the form of a crouching tree kangaroo (black dorcopsis) with geometric...

A Mendi 'Compensation' or 'Revenge' Doll, traditionally made with pandanus leaves, bilum string, shells, wood, seeds and objets trouve with pigments. These dolls represent individua...

A Papua New Guinea carved-wood Lumi shield from the mid-20th century. This vintage war shield from the West Sepik region, the northwestern most province of...

A striking and culturally rich Samoan bark cloth textile (siapo), dating to the late 19th to early 20th century CE. Measuring approximately 120 x 130 cm, this impressive work was cra...

This rare antique Kukukuku (pronounced "cookah-cookah") war club originates from the Morobe Province, which is a very remote area located within the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Gu...

A beautiful and large example of Oceanic art, this delightful woven mask would have been used on the gable of a middle Sepik meeting house. The wildly expressive form is accentuated ...

Standing Sepik River Area of Papua New Guinea, male stocky figure with hands on hips, and remains of red pigments Strong expression, with semi-circular ears, incised line scarificati...

Old woven painted basketry yam helmet style mask from Papua New Guinea. Hollow woven form with many layers of red and white pigments from many years of ceremonial use. A helmet style...

A Papua New Guinea yam festival mask of a horn-billed bird from the mid-20th century. This vintage ceremonial mask, also referred to as a baba mask, originates from the Abelam people...

Papua New Guinea standing figure from the Bioma peoples with raised designs, stylized classic face, and additional face in stomach. Mounted on custom metal and wood base. Traces of...

This rare antique Kukukuku (pronounced "cookah-cookah") war club is from the remote Morobe Province located within the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. The head is carved from...

Papua New Guinea standing male figure carved hardwood fragment, possibly from canoe? Back broken away and then cut and smoothed (probably by original baser) Based on period block of...

A wonderful 20th Century Samoan/Fijian circular wooden kava bowl called a tanoa fai'ava and carved from a single piece of wood and standing on seventeen round legs. Made of a native ...

Impressive pair of monumental hand carved wooden paddles featuring finely executed geometric and wave like motifs across the entire surface. The elongated proportions, sculptural silhouettes and richly aged dark patina give the pieces a strong architectural presence. Both paddles show clear signs of age and use, including surface wear and handling marks consistent with their original functional purpose. Each paddle displays a distinct carved pattern, creating a beautiful visual dialogue between the two objects. Likely inspired by ceremonial Oceanic or Polynesian paddles, these examples combine tribal craftsmanship with a highly decorative sculptural quality. Their strong minimalist form makes them particularly suitable as wall mounted objects...

This striking early 20th century tapa bark cloth from Western Samoa and the greater Tongan cultural sphere is a rare and powerful example of Pacific Island textile artistry. Hand-pai...

Navigation chart, Marshall Islands, Micronesia An instructional navigation chart of the rebbelib type, showing the islands, currents and wave dynamics. Made of palm mid-ribs, twine,...

Large hand carved Asmat shield from Papua, New Guinea, featuring an expressive symmetrical composition with traditional scroll and ancestral motifs in nat...

This striking early 20th century tapa bark cloth from Western Samoa and the greater Tongan cultural sphere is a rare and powerful example of Pacific Island textile artistry. Hand-pai...

Oceanic Schouten islands Pounder Papua New Guinea A Fine old hard wood Pounder or pestle with a standing female figure from the schouten islands off the north coast of Papua new Gui...

Papua New Guinea: Talipun, Boiken, Sepik River Region  Northern Papua New Guinea, 20th Century  A fine example of the rich cultural heritage of Papua New ...

A dark gray stone disc featuring numerous light-colored inclusions, a central perforation, and a convex profile that tapers toward the edge. A sculptural and decorative piece. Its s...

Tapa Headdress, Lepau, Santa Cruz Island, East Solomon Islands Paper mulberry tree inner bark, natural dye Late 19th to early 20th century 67.5 by 18 inches (171.4 by 45.7 cm) Ex pri...

A fantastic hand-carved primitive wood totem sculpture/ figure from the Sepik River people (Ambunti and Wewak) of Papua New Guinea. This work, which features tusked ancestral spirit ...

Originally collected in the Solomon Islands in 1938, this one of a kind treasure from the south pacific comes from a private oceanic collection. This is a Solomon Islands Santa Cruz hand carved figure called a Duka, circa 1930s. It was carved in an extremely hard native wood and features a finely carved, unusual extended conical head, a handwoven loin cloth and turmeric encrustation. For your convenience, many of our photographs were taken in natural day light which accurately illuminate surface areas depicting original dark patina that you would expect from an important early carving such as this one. We will include a complimentary custom wood display base that you see photographed. Dimensions: 21.25 inches high Provenance: collected in l938 and originally acquired by a visiting French collecting tourist in the Solomon Islands then to dealer and Texas collector and to our private collection in year 2000 so could have been a specially crafted fine 1930s tourist sculpture piece for the visiting French tourist. History: Duka sculpture from Nendo Island, politically part of the Solomon Islands, is distinctive, and only a limited number of works have been documented. The conical extension at the back of the head represents a man's hairstyle. Called abe, its construction and shape was a symbol of wealth and high social status, and for older men, it also served the practical purpose of covering bald spots. All Nendo figure refer to deities or supernatural beings (Ellis: 2009, pp. 78-85) Auction sale: Bonhams Auctions April 28, 2015 sale. Exceptional Lime Container...

This striking early 20th century tapa bark cloth from Western Samoa and the greater Tongan cultural sphere is a rare and powerful example of Pacific Island textile artistry. Hand-pai...

From Papua New Guinea an early painted Maprik carved wood head sculpture or mask, intense expression showing teeth, and two opposing stylize...

Mid to late 20th century incised bamboo comb, Huon Gulf, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea This large incised comb is typical of the bamboo combs of the Huon Gulf area. This parti...

Group of three early Papua New Guinea Sepik miniature tightly woven raffia yam mask with areas of heavy yellow and black pigments. Different Bird imagery in...

Ancient Fiji Islands Flat Serving Bowl or Platter 19th century, made of very dense hardwood with deep patina, and expected wear on bottom. Two small opposing holes for suspension. B...

Small carved darkened wood bird faced mask with long nose/beak. Smaller squatting figure with curled arms carved on forehead. From Sepik River Area of Papua New Guinea. Signs of ...

Early 20th century abstract tapa bark cloth from western Samoa with a royal coat of arms design. Hand-painted in deep brownish-black tones using traditional ‘o‘a sap blended with ch...