Pacific Islands Furniture

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

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...

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 handcrafted glass 'Cut Ice' fish vase by Michael Harris for Mdina glass on the Mediterranean island of Malta. Signed Mdina on the base. Michael Harris 1933-1994. Michael Har...

This handcrafted tribal trophy skull replica from Irian Jaya, Papua New Guinea, is a striking piece of ethnic decor that reflects the ancestral warrior traditions of the Papuan tribes. Made from sculpted resin and adorned with natural feathers, shells, seeds, resin, and beeswax, it authentically reproduces the ceremonial skulls once displayed as symbols of strength and honor. Each piece is hand-assembled using traditional techniques, with intricate details that evoke both mysticism and cultural depth. The crown of natural feathers, the central shell in the nasal cavity, and the eye sockets filled with organic materials reflect historic embalming rituals. This tribal skull...

Carved wood on museum stand

This piece is an excellent example of an adornment used by Abelam warriors to frighten their enemies. They are held in a warrior’s mouth for courage and to intimidate their adversary...

Small South Pacific Tridacna Gigas clam trinket.

Napa dance wand, Nendo people, Temotu Province, Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands An unusually large napa dance wand in the form of a highly stylized canoe, tapering to a point at...

Surrealist carved Koa wood vase with a hand form "holding" the vessel. Early 20th century dada works by those such as Marcel Duchamp would have certainly found kinship in the concept...

A very large and impressive 20th century Papua New guinea / Tami Island carved feast bowl. Carved in an almond shape with pointed ends, embellished with an anamorphic bat figure with...

Sago peg, tapak, Abelam/Wosera people, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea Sago pegs are used to secure a screen mesh during the preparation of sago flour. This example depicts a ...

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...

"Coconut Shell Carved Ritual Cup – Iatmul People, Sepik River, Png" Antique Carved Coconut Shell Ritual Bowl – Iatmul People, Sepik River...

A pair of Kiakavo wooden clubs from the Fiji Islands on custom stands. These vintage tribal wood clubs, carved by stone, are a beautiful example of the dis...

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...

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...

Antique Collectible Ethnic Tribal Folk Art Crescent Shell Pieces Choker Necklaces from Papua New Guinea. Shell pieces cut from the gold lipped pearl oyster found off the waters of Papua New Guinea. Their opalescent color ranges from deep gold yellow to pale yellow. Each is pierced at the crescent point for a cord attachment enabling the owner to wear them singly or together around the neck. One had a line of holes along the inner edge of the crescent as a decorative feature. Highly Collectible Museum Pieces, worn by men and women rare old Kina Shell Necklaces (Huge Mother of Pearl Crescent) Pectoral Collected from the Foi Tribe (Papua New Guinea), Circa 1920’s. From the Art collection of Marian and John Scott. Acquisition date: 1969. Evaluation date records: 1982. About: For the people of the Highlands, shells were considered treasures. As they were items that came from distant shores of Papua New Guinea they were already objects used for trade. The number one source of mother of pearl wealth was and is still is from the Thursday Island, one of the chain of Island that suggests the ancient land bridge across the Torres Straits from Cape York, Australia to New Guinea. They were fashioned into objects of adornment worn on costumes, hair, nose, etc. Of particular rarity was the gold lipped pearl shell. References: Plumes and Arrows, Inside New Guinea, COlin Simpson, Angus and RObertson, 1968. CATEGORY Anthropology: Ethnography. Tribal Kina Shell Pectoral Necklace, Pearl shell ornamentation (neck). Kina (shell money) Oject part of Pacific Cultures Collections. Purchased from the amazing private collection of Mark Lissauer who spent his life collecting niche ethnographic pieces. About Mark Lissauer: Mark Lissauer spent forty years travelling abroad for months at a time collecting ethnographic artefacts primarily from New Guinea and the islands of the West Pacific, and from Asia and Himalayan countries. Fluent in five languages and having in the course of business travelled to more than forty countries, Mark is well-known to museums and art-collectors around the world for his long career and his interesting and diverse collection of rare ethnographic material. Mark knows the origin and symbolism of each piece. Through extensive research and more than ninety trips around the globe, Mark familiarised himself with the traditions of the various cultures he visited in order to understand the meaning of each object to its region and tribe. His home has a specialist library and several rooms are filled with tribal carvings, textiles and ethnographica. He acquired his first tribal piece in 1948 during a business trip to Milne Bay, New Guinea, and has since documented the acquisition of some 35,000 items. Several thousands of these have been sold to important private collections and museums worldwide, including the Rockefeller Museum, the British Museum and the Musée National des Arts d’Afrique et d’Océanie, now incorporated into the Louvre Museum. Estimator certificate of authenticity by Wayne Heathcote Tribal Art Dealer and Expert. Heathcote has a flash gallery in Brussels, where much of the tribal art business is centred, and is an expert at Sotheby's tribal art sale...

Early 20th Century Wood and Shell Scoop, Solomon Islands A small scoop in the shape of a whale, with three rows of inlaid notched shell triangles and three circular shell eyes. Nice...

Early Papua New Guinea abstract hook figure or mask with two opposing hooks, and central looped design, Sepik River area. Some chips missing to central loops. Small hole at top for s...

Bulutoko, also known as a cannibal fork, these were specialised four-pronged forks from Fiji, traditionally used by chiefs and priests for consuming human flesh. Later mounted on a ...

Early Large Food Bowl, Tami Islands, Huon Gulf, Papua New Guinea This large food bowl exhibits a pleasing asymmetry in the raised relief carving of the t...

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...

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...

20th Century Oceanic Wood Feast Platter with Stylized Flying Fox Motif Boiken Peoples, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea The platter's rich dark brown ...

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...

Tall elegant tube shell sculpture designed and executed by F. S. Henemader with a dramatic form and striking bleached white color. Presented on a Lucite base to enhance the sculptura...

Early 20th century shell money ring mounted on a custom made stand, Papua New Guinea.

A delightful and fanciful Chambri Lake fired and pigmented pottery vessel with applied molded face design, mid 20th century Aibom village, Chambri Lake, Middle Sepik River region, Pa...

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...

Nice composition in Dense Bunukwa rainforest hardwood, inlaid shell and lime. Carved wooden pig, standing, tail straight and protrudes backwards with rows of carved zig zag...

Authentic branch coral specimen with its clean bleached white color and organic textural form. Presented on a custom coquina stand. Available o...

A model of a spirit dugout canoe, from the Asmat village in New Guinea. A replica of the large canoes they use for transportation and fishing, this smaller model is hand-carved in ...

Unusual dramatic and large ceremonial female figure from New Guinea hand made with carved wood and mixed media.

Late 19th to early 20th century New Guinea, Trobriand Islands, Milne Bay, Massim People carved wooden pigs with incised decoration and flat paddle-style tai...

This authentic tribal shaman’s medical bag, known as a Bilum bag, originates from Papua New Guinea and dates back to circa 1900. Traditionally used by shamans for carrying medicinal ...

Marsupial rodents have only four incisors, making large necklaces a symbol of the wearer's hunting prowess. These body ornaments were worn by both men and women.

A Garra hook by Bahinemo People of Hustein Mountains from Mid-Sepik River region in Papua New Guinea. The highly sculptural mask is one of the most iconic and mysterious designs from...

A Superbly Carved Lime Spatula Representing Two Figures Wood (ebony) Northern (?) Massim, New Guinea 19th Century Size: 31cm long - 12¼ ins long Provenance: Ex Anthony Meyer G...

A pair of decoratively carved wood splash boards from the southeastern region of Papua, New Guinea, presented on custom stands. This pair of vintage tribal boards have been carved fr...

Objects crafted from the shell of the giant Tridacna clam, also known as the fossilized giant clam, held great value among numerous Melanesian peoples. The artistry of working with f...

A large digging stick used for the ceremony of planting the first yams of the season circa first half of the 20th century, purportedly from the ex-collection of the Children's Museum...

A pair of Kiakavo wooden clubs from the Fijian Islands of Oceania on custom stands. These vintage tribal wood clubs, carved by stone, are a beautiful examp...

A pair of Papua New Guinea yam festival masks from the mid 20th century. These vintage ceremonial masks, also referred to as a baba mask, originate from the Abelam people, along the ...

A single Yua Wenga currency from the early 20th century on custom iron stand. This antique tribal currency piece from Papua New Guinea has been carved ...

Unusual turned miro wood vase or drinking vessel from Pitcairn Island made by Parkins Christian, a descendant of Fletcher Christian - leader of the Mutiny o...

A well preserved Yam Ancestor mask professionally presented on a museum quality acrylic display stand. The mask was a classic tribal art piece from Abela...

Early vintage or antique South Seas carved teak Mermaid, circa 1920s or perhaps earlier, a hand carved upright figure holding a carved shell, with deeply carved flowers in grooved hair flowing down back, shell necklace, and scale pattern throughout her tail. The statue is weathered, has a few age cracks, and the end of the tail is broken. Mounted long ago on a late Victorian brass lamp...

John Kauage: Continuing and Transforming a Visionary Legacy John Kauage stands today as one of the key figures shaping the future of contemporary art in Papua New Guinea, carrying f...

A vintage carved wood crocodile head boat prow from Papua New Guinea. This mid-20th century Papua New Guinean boat prow has been carved out of wood and featu...

A Finely Carved Lime Spatula by an Unknown Master Carver Depicting a possibly unique Mother and Child (?) or Male and Female (?) Wood ebony with lime infill Massim Area, Papua New...

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...

Command attention with this monumental vintage woven rattan headdress, a striking example of ethnographic-style fiber art that evokes the spiritual mystery of Oceania and West Africa...

This Fossil Coral Mushroom Table Lamp is a captivating fusion of nature's wonders and stunning craftsmanship, destined to bring a unique aesthetic warmth and etherial glow to your sp...

A pair of carved wood catfish head boat prows from Papua New Guinea. This pair of mid-20th century Papua New Guinean boat prows has been carved out of wood and features the head of a...

Abstract and anthropomorphic large figure from the Pie River, located to the east of the Era River. Abstract, anthropomorphic form stands on separate legs with dynamic varying outline, wide hips, and torso leading straight to a rounded head. Figure represents Irivake, the ancestor hero who is considered as the founder of headhunting, also believed to have climbed to the sky and to command lightning. It is enlivened with various curvilinear details highlighted with red and white pigments. The back appears with a collection number in red, and the following: Ipigau (village), Upper Pie River, Papua, P63.20. This is a 'later example', not a first generation piece with several age cracks. It has likely seen field use, but not extensive field use. Provenance: Private New Jersey Collection, ex. Michael Rockefeller...