RARE FISHERMANS GOD FIGURE
RAROTONGA ISLAND, COOK ISLANDS
£10,080
Auction: 30 November 2022 at 14:00 GMT
Description
carved wood, shown crouched, with elongated torso and phallus, the arms clutching the midriff, with faint tattooing around the eyes, mouth, navel, arms phallus and knees.
Dimensions
32.4cm tall
Provenance
Old Hawaiian Family Collection, Waimanalo, Hawaii
Private collection, Santa Fe, United States
Bonhams, San Francisco, February 9th 2015, lot 135, sold for $17,500
Private collection, United Kingdom
Footnote
Note:
For similar please see: The British Museum, London, accession number Oc,LMS.36
Cf. Hooper (2006: figs. 189 and 190)
Hooper (ibid.) comments, 'A massive emasculated image [fig. 189], this is almost certainly the one illustrated by Williams (1837: 116-17) and described by him as "An idol...placed upon the fore part of every fishing canoe; and when the natives were going on a fishing excursion, prior to setting off, they invariably presented offerings to the god, and invoked him to grant them success."'...'Another image [fig. 190] in similar style...has black painted designs on its body that almost certainly represent tattoos, and which also correspond to the form of the designs on the large sheet of barkcloth (no. 194).'