Description:

**Originally Listed At $2500**

Pre-Columbian, Chile, Atacama Desert, ca. 1st millennium CE. A remarkably rare wooden boat, used either as a toy or as a learning tool for a boat-builder, comprised of 6 wooden planks held together by desiccated earth used as adhesive and accompanied by 2 wooden paddles. A lengthy wood plank lies at the center of the boat, forming a sizeable bow at the front and a petite stern at the back, while also serving as the keel of the hull. A pair of shorter planks flank the longer one, all 3 sanded flat on top and rounded on the underside to glide smoothly along the water. An additional 3 planks are placed at angles at the peripheries to serve as the walls of the boat as liberal remains of red and black pigment adorn the vessel. The 2 paddles present differing forms with the more petite displaying a slender shaft and an asymmetric paddle and the larger featuring 2 petaloid blades and a tubular shaft. Size: 22.5" L x 6.5" W (57.2 cm x 16.5 cm); 6.7" H (17 cm) on included custom stand.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, 1995 to 2010; ex-private Hans Juergen Westermann collection, Germany, collected from 1950 to 1960s

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

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#172785

  • Condition: Minor wear and old, inactive insect bore holes. Stable fissures with age commensurate chips and losses to peripheries. Otherwise, well-preserved with light earthen deposits and liberal remains of pigments.

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May 11, 2023 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000