Tapa cloth
Futuna Island, Polynesia
Paper mulberry tree inner bark, natural dye
Early 20th century
10.5 feet long by 31 inches wide (320.25 by 79 cm)
Ex private collection, Northern CA

This rare Futuna Island tapa cloth is made from paper thin mulberry bast called lafi and is decorated with fine black hand-drawn motifs using a narrow pen cut from a coconut fond midrib. The center field is scattered with freehand painted designs and the complex border areas have bands of intricate patterns in fine black lines and small areas filled with brown ink.

It is from the early collection of Mrs. Douglass B. Crane, whose name is stamped in red on the back of the tapa (see photo). Her husband, Douglass Barnitz Crane (1968-1949) was one of the founders of Wightman, Crane & Stuart, which is headquartered in San Francisco and remains the city’s oldest continuously operating export shipping company. They carried out export and shipping services to the South Seas using sailing vessels such as The Equator and The Doris Crane; a photo of the latter at its launch in 1920 with namesake Doris at the mast is included here.

The tapa is signed Atanasia, presumably by the artist, on the reverse in a script similar to Greek (see photo). The tapa is in very good condition, with only one small hole.
#2541

Price on request