IMPORTANT SOLOMON ISLANDS

FIGURATIVE HOUSE POST

San Cristobal Island, Makira Province, Solomon Islands. 19th century Height: 112 inches, included custom metal base Provenance: Peter Stratford, New Zealand / Texas private collection Art Loss Register Certificate, ALR Ref: S00248107 29,500.Originating from the Eastern Solomon Islands, this powerfully carved figurative house post once served as a central support post for a community men’s house. This was a grand structure designed to house the large sacred canoes that were used to hunt at sea for bonito (tuna). The bonito hunt was an important stage in a young man’s life, whereby he would gain important ancestral knowledge through the rites and rituals associated with the hunt. Carved from dense ironwood, the house post portrays a seated male ancestral figure adorned with the chiefly regalia worn during the ceremonies associated with the bonito hunt. The figure wears a carved headband of small cowrie shells, and a complex nose ornament is depicted suspended from the septum. The surface of the face is incised with geometric motifs that represent the traditional facial scarification that the initiate receives as part of the bonito hunt rituals. The ears are depicted with large circular ear spools that would have been rendered out of a polished tridacna shell disc. Additionally, the chest bears a carved crescent shaped pectoral ornament that would have been fashioned from the outer lip of a large bivalve shell. Positioned beside the crouched legs, the hands are each grasping a large bonito which extends down the length of the post. The serpentine motif adorning the upper portions of the post depicts a mythological sea snake that was central to the stories and customs of the bonito hunt. The recessed region at the top of the post would have secured a wooden crossbeam to support the palm thatched roof. The dense ironwood has faded and weathered to a gray patina, from exposure to the coastal salt air over many decades. With the introduction of Christianity in the early 20th century, the bonito hunt and its associated rites had largely disappeared from the Eastern Solomons within a generation, and subsequently many of the grand bonito houses were left in disrepair and were abandoned to the elements. Fortunately, this support post continued to be revered and well cared for by the community and was later documented and photographed in situ on San Cristobal Island by the New Zealand based anthropologist Sidney Meade in 1971, just prior to being collected. The house post, carved in the classic early style, was already quite old when photographed by Meade, and dates to the 19th century. The well-known French collector Pierre Langlois also travelled through San Cristobal Island during that time and acquired several important figurative house posts, including iconic examples now in the collections of the Quai Branly Museum in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum in New York. The highly regarded French dealer Helene Leloup (right) also acquired two house posts from Langlois’ travels through San Cristobal Island, one of which was likely carved by the same hand as the fine example offered here.

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