Full details of each lot are displayed, except the lot number, estimate and price. You must be a subscriber to view lot numbers, estimates and prices.
Fourteen Kesa shell money, Western Solomon Islands, 18th - 19th…
Sale Title:
Auction House:
Auction Location:
Sydney
Date:
17-Aug-2015
Lot No.
***
Description:
Fourteen Kesa shell money, Western Solomon Islands, 18th - 19th century; 'Kesa' is a cylindrical shell wealth that came in different sizes and values. It is old, and is said to have been made by the spirit Pongo. People preserved kesa by wrapping them in ivory palm leaves and burying them in the ground, or by storing them in caves for safety from raids. They came in different denominations, from kalusape, the highest value, possessed by the chiefs. Provenance: Tebbenham collection; Tebbenham was on the Navy Ship the HSM Mohawk 1898 on a punitive expedition to the Western Solomon Islands due to head hunting raids on the neighbouring Islands. Ex B. L. Hornshaw collection (1878-1937); Hornshaw was an avid collector of Pacific and Australian Aboriginal artefacts, he received many of his pieces from people who lived and worked in the Pacific in the late 19th century (14)
Estimate:
***
Price:
***
Category:
Tribal: S/E Asia, Oceania & Pacific