Skip to main content
Priest's or Chief's Club, Fiji Islands image 1
Priest's or Chief's Club, Fiji Islands image 2
Priest's or Chief's Club, Fiji Islands image 3
Priest's or Chief's Club, Fiji Islands image 4
Lot 274

Priest's or Chief's Club, Fiji Islands

11 November 2019, 15:00 EST
New York

Sold for US$68,825 inc. premium

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

How to sell

Looking for a similar item?

Our African and Oceanic Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.

Find your local specialist

Ask about this lot

Priest's or Chief's Club, Fiji Islands

gugu or siriti
length 44in (111.8cm)

Provenance
Taylor A. Dale, Santa Fe
Richard I.M. Kelton Collection, Marina del Rey, California, acquired from the above 10 January 1989

Clunie notes, "the head of the siriti or gugu incorporated a stylised design of the fish from which is name is drawn." (Clunie, Furgus, Yalo i Viti - Shades of Viti: A Fijian Museum Catalogue, Fiji Museum, 1986, p. 184

Cf. Ibid, fig. 185

Superbly carved in hard wood, most likely without the use of metal tools, the cylindrical shaft with a grip enhanced with incised zigzag design, gradually curving and becoming a broad, flat head, intricately carved throughout with three raised circular points, a central raised L-shaped platform divided into rectangular segments, each with varying zigzag and cross-hatched designs, all among a checkerboard background; exceptional dark reddish-brown patina with wear indicative of significant age and use.

Additional information

Bid now on these items

Yangoru Boiken Bride Price Payment, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea

Mangbetu Knife Handle and Sheath, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Fine Ceremonial Scarf, South Sumatra circa 1910 silk, framed78 x 36 1/4in (198.1 x 92cm)ProvenanceEuropean Private Collection