Showing posts with label Paddles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paddles. Show all posts
Monday, 10 April 2017
More Woodland Auction Paddles
Found 2 stunning antique paddles dated to circa 1860 from the Stair Galleries auction site (May 23, 2009 Past Auction catalogue). Both of these beautiful paddles dramatically exceeded their estimated price value so there seems to be a market of enthusiastic paddle collectors out there.
WOODLANDS CANOE (Ottawa?) PADDLE
circa 1860
74 x 6 1/2 in.
Estimate : $500 - $700
Realized : $1,600
Maple
Traces of red and grey paint. Engraved and stained decoration of top of grip
Feb 2017 Update: This paddle has been relisted and sold. Additional photos of the paddle including alternate views of the grip design can be seen in this post here.
NORTHEASTERN WOODLANDS (Malecite?) CANOE PADDLE
Circa 1860
5 ft. 3 3/4 in.
Maple
Estimate : $700 - $900
Realized : $2,500
This paddle was collected in the St. John's River area of New Brunswick, Canada. Floral designs are incised on the top.
The two pieces in question were featured in Pleasing the spirits : a catalogue of a collection of American Indian art by Ewing, Douglas C (1982) - plates 473 & 474. Luckily one copy of this out of print exhibit catalogue was available at the Toronto Reference Library where I went to find some extra information. The black and white pics included a closeup of the floral carving details etched on the grip of the 2nd paddle not featured on the auction images.
Basic Floral Etchings on grip
Really dig this unique stepped grip shape, quite different than others I've seen so far and I think this replica will be added to my ever growing "to-do" list of historic paddles.
Saturday, 8 April 2017
Fort Severn Cree Paddles
Doug Ingram is a master wood working artisan who operates Red River Canoe out of Lorette, Manitoba. His wonderful blog, Wood Be Creative showcases some of the amazing work he does (much more than just canoes). He is part of the Fort Severn Canoe Restoration project and recently returned with some great photos of the local paddles. His blog posts from August 16 & Aug 19th showcase these traditional designs adapted for use with motorized freighter canoes...
Doug also posted pics of a unique looking paddle with a distinctively nubby tip, which he decorated with traditional Cree markings...
Here's the description from Doug's post giving more details.
A traditional paddle, since the arrival of motorized freighter canoes, is the pole paddle. Stan Thomas called it a "Hunter's Paddle". These are about 88" long, and the shaft and blade are each about 44" long. The shaped tip is for purchase in the shallow gravel river beds. When it wears done it is just re-shaped a little shorter. The blade is flat on one face and shaped on the other.
Many thanks to Doug for his efforts in documenting this unique paddle design and to Mike O for posting about this earlier last week.
( Photos courtesy of Doug Ingram, Red River Canoe )
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