Mask (Rom)
1 of 3
Object Label
One of the main sources of lighting fuel in the colonial period and well into the nineteenth century was whale oil. Consequently, hunting for whales was an important part of the economy. The long ocean voyages that characterized this enterprise afforded the sailors a great deal of free time, during which they sometimes made crafts out of unusable parts of the whale such as the teeth. In nautical slang, scrimshaw denotes any precision mechanical work.
Caption
Ambrym. Mask (Rom), 19th century. Palm spathe, bamboo, coconut fiber, hemp, pigment, 37 3/4 x 8 x 9 in. (95.9 x 20.3 x 22.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede and Mrs Melville W. Hall, 86.229.5. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Culture
Title
Mask (Rom)
Date
19th century
Geography
Place made: Western Ambrym, Ambrym, Malampa Province, Vanuatu
Medium
Palm spathe, bamboo, coconut fiber, hemp, pigment
Classification
Dimensions
37 3/4 x 8 x 9 in. (95.9 x 20.3 x 22.9 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Marcia and John Friede and Mrs Melville W. Hall
Accession Number
86.229.5
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