Sometimes objects are found which appear to date from the period 1880-1884 when Pitt-Rivers had two collections, the founding and second collections, going simultaneously. There are some objects which appear to date from this period but are not listed either in the founding collection documentation or in the second collection catalogue. These may of course HAVE NEVER formed part of either collection, but it may also be possible that because of the transitional nature of this time, there was no surviving documentation for the object even though it did form part of Pitt-Rivers' collection. This article is a place for the Rethinking Pitt-Rivers project team to put documentation that appears to relate to such objects, however placing such information here does not suggest that the team believe that the items did / or did not form part of the Pitt-Rivers collections.
Shell necklaces, Marshall Islands
These two shell necklaces were sold at the 'Art Océanien : Objets de Curiosité provenant de la collection Daniel Blau' sale on 13 December 2011 at Christie's Paris to an unknown buyer, lot 92 and 93. They are described as
Lot 92
COLLIER EN SPONDYLUS MARSHALL ISLANDS SPONDYLUS NECKLACE Iles Marshall Longueur: 25 cm. (10 in.) Provenance H.G. Carr 1884 Lt. Gen. A.H.L.F. Pitt-Rivers, Farnham, Dorset
Lot Notes Cf. Heerman, 2009, fig.122 pour une oeuvre comparable provenant du Linden Museum, Stuttgart (inv.87601). Composé de fibres végétales tressées retenant deux rangs de disques de perles de corail dont un double et de cinq pendentifs en écaille de tortue en forme de trapèze; ancienne étiquette de collection: Necklace of coral with tortoiseshell pendants. The string made of pandamus [sic.] palm leaf. Marshall Group Obtained from Mr. H.G. Carr 31. Mar. 84.
Lot 93
COLLIER EN SPONDYLUS MARSHALL ISLANDS SPONDYLUS NECKLACE Iles Marshall Longueur: 30 cm. (12 in.) Provenance H.G. Carr 1884 Lt. Gen. A.H.L.F. Pitt-Rivers, Farnham, Dorset
Cf. Heerman, 2009, fig.122 pour une oeuvre comparable conservée au Linden Museum, Stuttgart (inv.87601).
Ancienne étiquette mentionnant: Necklace of coral with tortoiseshell pendants. The string made of pandamus [sic.] palm leaf. Marshall Group Obtained from Mr. H.G. Carr 31. Mar. 84.
There is no reference to any items being obtained from an H.G. Carr, and no items from the Marshall Islands listed in the catalogue of the second collection. There is, however, an item from a A.G Carr from Niue who is likely to be the same person. We do not know anything, at the present time, about Carr so his actual initials and identify remain mysterious. 1884 was, of course, the year in which Pitt-Rivers donated his founding collection to the University of Oxford, but they are not listed in any of that collection's documentation either. A label is still tied to the object, and it may be the original one. It does not bear much resemblance, so far as can be seen from the photograph, to other Pitt-Rivers founding collection labels. The necklaces cannot be matched to any entries in the catalogues of the founding or second collection.
Note that very similar necklaces appear to have been sold by Christie's three years earlier on 4 December 2008 again in Paris at the Sale of Art Africain et Oceanien lot 71 where they were described as
Lot Description COLLIER Iles Marshall Composé de trois rangs de perles de corail en forme de disque, ancienne étiquette lisant Coral necklaces worn by chiefs Tier over Tier According to rank. Marshall Group. Longueur: 24 cm. (9½ in.) Provenance Lt. Gen. A.H.L.F. Pitt Rivers, Farnham, Dorset Christie's Londres, 23 juin 1992, lot 187
Whether these are the same or more of the identifical objects the same thing applies, there do not appear to be any such necklaces in either of Pitt-Rivers' collections. See the last photo of this set for the image of these necklaces.
AP March 2012
