four tiki figures. According to one version of the Marquesan creation myth, the god
Tiki was the progenitor and ancestor of all men. He invented the arts of carving
and tattooing, and taught them to the first men. Stylized representations of the
human figure, also called tiki, are the most prominent feature of Marquesan art.
Carol S. Ivory, in « Adorning the World Art of the Marquesas Islands »
(Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2005) states that fans in the
Marquesas were carried by prominent individuals such as toa (warriors), tau'a
(priests) and other high-ranking men and women as marks of social status.
visual impact was enhanced by the elegant manner in which they were carried,
especially by women. Made from narrow strips of plant fiber, the blades were
intricately woven around dagger-like handles (ke'e).
between 1844 and 1847 by Georges Louis Winter, a French soldier in the
South Pacific. It has then remained in the family collection by descent for
over 150 years. This tahi'i fan is a masterpiece of elegance and refinement.
Marquesas Islands
Early 19
Collected between 1844 and 1847 in Nuku Hiva
Ex collection Georges-Louis Winter
Ex collection Winter family by descent