News & Events

A rare and exceptional 19th century inlaid bowl from the Palau Islands in Micronesia was recently acquired from Entwistle by a private collection.

The bowl is composed of wood with ochre pigmentation throught and inlays of marine shell. Its measures 58.4 cm (23 in.) in length.

The remarkable depth and form of the vessel is ornamented by an extraordinary series of  zoomorphic figures inlaid with shell on a horizontal arrangement around the entire circumference of the bowl. The figures stand with legs akimbo while the arms are held upwards to form an 'X' conceit. Between the legs of the figures, a long tail is suspended vertically to end in a tuft of hair.

Below and above the abstract figures, slender horizontal bands of inlaid shell add geometric certainty to the design and, above them and near the rim of the bowl, a series of 'V' shaped bird forms add dynamic naturalism to the theme of man at the centre of the dialogue between the heavens and earth.

A short base below the bowl allows for its flat placement on a surface. A series of oblong perforations on the edges of the base create a fluid openwork design and the solid spaces between the openings are also inlaid with triangular shell inlays.

The smooth upper lip of the bowl is slightly raised at the lateral extremities for ease of portability. A bowl of this refinement and detail would have been reserved for special ceremonies and for the exclusive use of village chiefs and nobles.

The bowl is also noteworthy for its remarkable collection history. It was previously in the collection of the notable British anthropologist and museum curator Harry Geoffrey Beasley of Chislehurst, Kent [Inv. No. 3.79]; subsequently with his widow and heir, Irene Beasley, before it passed into the collection of New York collector John Wise. It was acquired by the previous American collectors at auction in New York in the 1960's.

The bowl was exhibited in the landmark show The Art of the Pacific Islands, held at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. in 1979 and published in the catalogue for that exhibiton, written by Peter Gathercole, Adrienne L. Kaeppler and Douglas Newton [p. p. 268, cat. 19.14].
 

By virtue of the quality and rarity of the artworks on view and the international diversity of its participants, this renowned annual fair is considered the most important fair of its kind in the world. The fair runs from Tuesday 8th to Sunday 13th September, 2020. We look forward to welcoming you to our gallery.

This year, we will be showcasing masterpieces from various African and Oceanic cultural groups, such as the superb nephrite  pendant (hei tiki) from the Maori peoples of New Zealand [above].

Given the current circumstances affecting global travels, we realise that not all of our friends will be able to attend this year's fair; for this purpose, we have created a 'virtual visit' to the gallery, which you can access by clicking on the link above.
 

Comme chaque année depuis 2004, la galerie Entwistle est fière d’annoncer sa participation au Parcours des Mondes, le prestigieux salon parisien dédié aux arts d’Afrique, d’Océanie, des Amériques et d’Asie.

De par la qualité, la rareté des pièces exposées et la diversité de ses participants venus du monde entier, cet événement annuel de renommée internationale apparaît comme le plus important salon au monde dans ce domaine. C’est donc avec grand plaisir que nous vous accueillerons à la galerie pour cette nouvelle édition, du mardi 8 au dimanche 13 septembre 2020.

Cette année, nous présenterons des chefs-d'œuvre de divers groupes culturels africains et océaniens, parmi lesquels un superbe pendentif en néphrite (hei tiki) Maori de Nouvelle-Zélande [ci-dessus].

En raison des circonstances actuelles qui affectent les voyages dans le monde, nous nous rendons compte que tous nos amis ne pourront pas assister à la foire cette année; à cet effet, nous avons créé une 'visite virtuelle' de la galerie, à laquelle vous pouvez accéder en cliquant sur le lien ci-dessus.


 

Few iconic objects in the opus of primitive art express the abstract representation of the human body with as much elegance and sinuous simplicity as the double-bladed dance paddle, rapa, of the peoples of Easter Island in Polynesia. Indeed, in its stylization, few objects can match the plasticity of its anthropomorphic approach, reflected in the conflation and implication of corporeal elements within its form.

The symmetry and refinement of the rapa is all the more remarkable when one considers these ceremonial instruments were carved exclusively from planks from the centre of a log of the long extinct Toromiro tree (Sophora Toromiro). It is, to say the least, a delicate and arduous task.

According to Michel Orliac and Dr. Catherine Orliac,  “The way the object is extracted from the piece of wood is always the same: through splitting, a wedge is taken from the greatest diameter of a log, which is most often very straight, in or close to its medullary axis, parallel or slightly oblique …this wedge is then planed perfectly…no trace of the cutting or shaping remains: the state of the surface is perfect” [1]

 

Carved as a short dance paddle to be held in mid-shaft and twirled rhythmically in time with chants, the rapa alludes, in its figure-eight contour, to an organic form with the handle acting as an axial feature in the equilibrium between upper and lower volumes; the paddle’s carved form functions as a balancing mechanism in much the same way as the human head and hips of the human body and the upper and lower bouts in a violin are regulated by the waist.

Essential to many dances and ceremonies, the dance paddles were usually carried in pairs to accent the movements of performers who spun them on their axes to the rhythm of a chanted accompaniment.[2] Rapa were used by both men and women, although the sexes seldom performed together.[3]

Alfred Métraux states that the rapa “…was used by chiefs in their war dances before the king. They were twirled and shaken in close proximity to his face as though to frighten him.”[4]