Flywhisk Handle

Browse the collection

Culture Maohi

Culture Tahitian

Culture Society Islands

Culture Austral Islands

Title Flywhisk Handle

Date Before 1818

Medium Whale ivory, wood, and and sennit

Dimensions Object: 12 5/16 × 2 1/4 × 2 1/16 in. (31.3 × 5.7 × 5.2 cm)
Overall (includes mount): 13 1/16 × 2 1/4 × 2 1/16 in. (33.2 × 5.7 × 5.2 cm)

Credit Line Raymond and Laura Wielgus Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 2010.22

Share this artwork!

About this Work

The intricate, delicate carving and the tawny, silky appearance of the ivory make this a sensuous, if somewhat enigmatic, object. One of only five known similar ivory handles, this one and another now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art were sent in 1818 from the Tahitian king Pomare II (1774–1821) to an English missionary, Reverend Thomas Haweis (1734–1820).

James Wilson, one of the earliest Europeans to visit the Society Islands, noted that fly whisks were a common accoutrement of the islanders and a fan or fly whisk (Tahitians used the same word for both objects) was among the insignia of a chief.

Provenance
More Details

Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

Viewing Information
This artwork is currently on view.

Request this Image
The Eskenazi Museum of Art provides images of its collection, free of charge, upon request. This artwork is under copyright protection. You can request the image and it will be emailed to you when the request is complete.

Cite this Page
"Flywhisk Handle | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2024. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=2010.22