Lot 60
FISH PADDLE
SOLOMON ISLANDS
Auction: 28 May 2026 from 13:00 BST
Description
carved wood and pigment, the long, slender shaft topped by a broad, slightly flared crest-like handle, transitioning to a leaf-shaped blade in the form of a fish, with pointed tip
please note that this lot is being offered at no reserve
Dimensions
134.6cm long
Provenance
Christie's, London, December 1, 1983, lot 187
Seymour and Alyce Lazar, Palm Springs, acquired at the above sale
Sotheby's, New York, Sculpture from the Collection of Seymour and Alyce Lazar, October 6th 2022, lot 60
Private collection, United Kingdom, acquired from the above
Footnote
“There is a whimsical quality to this paddle, with the upper end of the blade taking the form of a fish which effortlessly swallows the shaft of the paddle in its gaping maw, while at the other end the pommel evokes the tail of a fish. The two faces of the blade bear finely painted designs, more or less symmetrical in character, which in the central register seem to depict soaring frigate birds, while the sense of movement in the painted design of the distal end suggests the flipping tail of a fish.”
Sotheby's, 2022
For similar, please see: The British Museum, London, accession number Oc1913,0524.29.