We visited PAN Amsterdam again.
Traditionally I start with Frides Lameris' antiques tiles.
a wall mounted console made from a 'tonderzwam' (tree fungus)
And my favourite object: an extremely rare Kiribati warrior's armour.
Central Pacific Ocean, Micronesia, Kiribati (Gilbert Islands)
Dating from the 19th century or earlier.
Provenance: Collection Jean Roudillon (1924-2020),
a Frech expert in the tribal arts from Africa, Oceania and the Americas
made from materials like porcupinefish skin, shark teeth and coconut fibers
..... the craftmanship and quality is excellent
This object should go to a museum collection, not to a private collection.
(Photo: George Hubert Eastman, © Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge)
Historically, the I-Kiribati (the people of the Republic of Kiribati) produced extraordinary objects such as suits of armor made from coconut fiber. The armor provided protection from the dangerous shark’s-teeth-edged swords, spears, and daggers carried by island warriors. Each suit is made up of a set of overalls and sleeves made from coconut fiber, with a coconut fiber cuirass (arbor that covers the front and back of the torso) worn over the top. The distinctive cuirasses have high backboards to protect from attack from behind, and were often worn with thick belts made from woven coconut fiber or dried ray skin to protect the vital organs. The cuirasses are usually decorated, either with human hair, feathers or shells.
Historically, the I-Kiribati (the people of the Republic of Kiribati) produced extraordinary objects such as suits of armor made from coconut fiber. The armor provided protection from the dangerous shark’s-teeth-edged swords, spears, and daggers carried by island warriors. Each suit is made up of a set of overalls and sleeves made from coconut fiber, with a coconut fiber cuirass (arbor that covers the front and back of the torso) worn over the top. The distinctive cuirasses have high backboards to protect from attack from behind, and were often worn with thick belts made from woven coconut fiber or dried ray skin to protect the vital organs. The cuirasses are usually decorated, either with human hair, feathers or shells.
Warriors sometimes wore hand armour also made from coconut fiber, inlaid with shark's teeth along the knuckles. The warriors would also wear fearsome-looking helmets made of porcupine fish skin, which dried hard in the sun and provided another layer of protection for the head.
These helmets would usually have been worn over an coconut fiber or woven
pandanus (palm-like plant with ling frond-like leaves used for weaving) leaf cap.
It is not known where and when this type of armor was developed in the island, but is has come to stand as uniquely Kiribati, with its influence also spreading to the nearby islands of Nauru and Tuvalu.
(check out the information source: khanacademy for more examples)
The composition and colourful works inspire me
Two paintings by Gustav Sundin
two paintings by Henk Helmantel
A very rare oak wooden Bow chair (1963) by Grete Jalk
'Albatros' chair (1951) by Gerrit Rietveld, designed for the holiday houses 'Hessenheem' in Markelo
Wooden Marten sculpture by Fernand Vago Weiss (1896 Budapest - 1942, deported by the Nazi's)
Glass mask with lighting and wooden foot.
The most important work by Cornélie Caroline van Asch van Wijck,
designed in 1929 for Glasfabriek Leerdam,
awarded with a golden medal at the World exhibition 1930 in Antwerpen.
Art deco lamp with forged iron foot by Edgar Brandt
Very old engraving by Cornelis Visscher
A minimalist ceramic work by Geert Lap
Art Nouveau glas 'Paon' (Peacock) by Daum Nancy in 1905
I really enjoyed this edition of the PAN.
Seeing lots of amazing, intriguing, inspiring or just beautiful objects
accompanied by my former colleague and good friend Antoon.
Links to some earlier blog posts:
