Inuit Bone Harpoon Point

Substantial conical jar with trumpet-shaped mouth; applied high-relief decoration replicating sea-bird masks with impressed pellets and applied painted bands, frond detailing inside rim; from the Aibom Village in Papua New Guinea 1.62 kg, 16.2 cm



From a family collection mostly formed in the 1940s-1950s, thence by descent.

Penannular in plan and square in section with butted ends, punched tendril detailing, and eight sections of floral motif surrounded by annulets to the outer edge. 630 grams, 86 mm



Acquired on the UK art market. Property of an Essex, UK, collector.

An Oceanic fish-hook comprising a D-section wooden shank with polished shell panel (the lure) and barbed bone hook attached with twine. 15.9 grams, hook: 90 mm



From the private collection of Kenneth Machin (1936-2020), Buckinghamshire, UK; his collection of antiquities and natural history was formed since 1948; thence by descent.

This Maori trolling lure fish hook (pā kahawai) comprises three pieces – a worked piece of polished haliotis or paua shell attached to a curved, wooden shank, and then a carved long barb. Each of the segments is held in place by tightly bound muka fibre. Such lures were used by the Maori to fish for sea salmon (kahawai). The lure would be dragged behind a fast-moving canoe to attract the prey with the haliotis shell glinting in the sun to emulate the scales of fish to attract larger fish. The technique of using a trolling lure was a Polynesian fishing technique that was brought to New Zealand by the Maori and adapted using local materials.