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.

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

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#172785

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.