Oceanic Nauru wood female figure, 18th/19th c., Nauru Island, dark patina carved wood, inlaid shell eyes, depicted standing on a stool, Faith-Dorian Wright collection tag to underside, on custom metal stand, 22"h x 8"w x 5"d

Provenance: Joseph Ritson Wallace (1805-1895), possibly collected in situ during his voyage aboard the Zeno, 1832-1834; The Cumberland Museum (Ritson's private museum), Distington, near Whitehaven, certainly before 1895 Presumably sold at auction, August 1 (et. seq.), 1899, lot number unknown; William Downing Webster, Bicester; Museum fur Volkerkunde, Dresden (inv. no. 18664), presumably acquired from the above; Walter Randel, New York, presumably acquired from the above via Everett Rassiga, New York; Acquired from the above on February 4, 1977

Notes/Literature: James Edge-Partington and Charles Heape, An Album of the Weapons, Tools, Ornaments, Articles ofDress of the Natives of the Pacific Islands, Second Series, Manchester, 1895, pl. 89, no. 7. James Edge-Partington and Charles Heape, An Album of the Weapons, Tools, Ornaments, Articles of Dress of the Natives of the Pacific Islands, London, 1969, Pt. 2, pl. 89, no. 7 [reprint with preface by John Hewett]. Peter Gathercole, Adrienne L. Kaeppler, and Douglas Newton, The Art of the Pacific Islands, Washington, D.C., 1979, p. 265, fig. 19.9. Adrienne L. Kaeppler, Christian Kaufmann, Douglas Newton, L'art Oceanien, Paris, 1993, p. 435, fig. 4111 [English edition]

Good, fine aged patina, surface intact, restoration to foot, drilled for stand mounting **Note: Condition reports are based on visual inspection under typical office lighting. Unless otherwise noted, items are not examined under UV light in advance of sale. If you are interested in bidding, please contact us to request a more thorough examination, or make an appointment for in-person inspection. Condition reports are rendered as specialist opinion by the staff of the Auction House and not as statements of fact. We do not guarantee the content of written or verbal condition reports. Remember, all sales are final. The absence of a condition report does not imply that there are no condition issues with the lot. Please call us at (973) 377-1500 or e-mail info@milleabros.com with any questions about this lot at least 24 hours prior to auction.