Tonga Islands TAPA CLOTH MAP Vava'u Group HAND DRAWN & PAINTED 20 3/4" x 13 3/8"

Description

Vintage Hand-Drawn & Colored Map mounted to a solid piece of wood
South Pacific Ocean, Tonga Islands, Vava'u Group
Hand-made Tapa Cloth with black ink & traditional rust brown coloration
Signed in the lower left corner
The tapa cloth measures about 13 3/8 x 20 3/4 and is incompletely attached to the wood with pins & staples
There are shallow hand-perforated what appear to be lines of latitude & longitude
Hand-made pins with what appear to be wooden heads ~ total of 4 complete pins
There are 4 pins with missing heads, and there are 2 staples
As to be expected with hand-made tapa cloth, there are waves & ripples, as well as the usual wood texture
There are are marks & some water marks & color variation to the cloth throughout
No holes, no tears or cuts & I notice no odor
Age & history unknown. I find no family information on the artist.
Photos taken under a daylight bulb which over-whitened the piece.
Other photos taken with camera flash which slightly over-yellowed the piece.
Overall, the piece is an ecru color
I am no expert on maps, tapa cloth or history of the Tonga Islands.
All information is from minimal research on the internet ~ any errors are mine.
I have made no effort to attach the piece to the wood more securely, nor have I cleaned it - it is exactly as I found it!
Interesting piece for your map collection.
Please zoom in on all photos. If you wish, ask for photos in natural light.
Shipping is worst-case, as it requires special handling.
If shipping is substantially less, for example you're in CA like me, I will make adjustment.
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