Description:

Oceania, Melanesia, Solomon Islands, Malaita Island, 19th century CE. A striking pair of turtle shell ear ornaments known as ta'ota'o, each one comprised of two circular hoops, the lower one rendered so that it is elegantly linked to the upper one. The creation of these ear ornaments involves a complex process to turn the flat plates of a turtle shell into a hoop shape. The turtle shell must be submerged in hot water in order to make it soft and malleable. Then, the shell may be modeled, perhaps worked with tools and/or placed in wooden molds and heated in order to create these forms. Size of largest ornament (large hoop): 1.9" L x 1.8" W (4.8 cm x 4.6 cm); (small hoop): 1.7" L x 1.4" W (4.3 cm x 3.6 cm)

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-Norman Hurst collection, acquired in 2008

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#154575

  • Condition: All hoops have minor abrasions to exterior and interior surfaces, with nicks to peripheries of one smaller hoop, otherwise intact and excellent. Smooth earthen deposits throughout. Shell color quite vivid when held to bright light.

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April 1, 2021 10:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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