Admiralty Islands

The Admiralty Islands, a group of more than twenty islets with approximately 25,000 inhabitants, lie north of New Guinea in the southwest Pacific. Among the differnt artefacts of Melanesia, the objects from the Admiralty Islands form an independent group which can be clearly identified. It is only hear that one can find the typical large wooden bowls with carved spirals as handles, the unusual carve nape ornaments with feathers, and the aprons of snail shell discs, bark baskets and feathers designed for ceremonial presentations. This catalogue delineatesthe main characteristics of the art of the Admiralty Islands. It presents some 100 objects which rank among the best in the world. << 216 colour illustrations