CC0 · no rights reserved
Canoe Splashboard
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Trobriand Islanders often travel great distances by canoe to exchange ceremonial objects. Elaborately carved splashboards offered spiritual protection to the voyagers. Stylized frigate birds ornament this example.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineCanoe Splashboard, 1800s. Melanesia, Papua New Guinea, Massim Area, Trobriand Islands, 19th century. Wood; overall: 58.7 x 81.9 cm (23 1/8 x 32 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Klejman, 1966.130
