Antique Pitcairn Islands Carved Flying Fish C 1890 HMS Bounty Mutiny Interest

We love the history behind these antique hand carved items from the very distant Polynesian island called The Pitcairn Islands. The Pitcairn Islands, officially Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, are a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean.

The Island was made famous in the 18th century by the landing of a group of English mutineers back in the late 1700s. The sailors who landed in 1790 on the uninhabited Island were Fletcher Christian, 8 other sailors and a group of Polynesian natives, all had earlier mutineered from Captain Bligh's ship called HMS Bounty while it was heading home from Tahiti to Great Britain in 1789. The Island of Pitcairn was wrongly charted on British sailing charts. This anomaly gave Fletcher Christian a safe haven. The Bounty ship was burned so that all means of escape were thwarted. Their new island home was plentiful in food, and good for farming and agriculture. This safe haven brought the sailors many years of safety from the likelihood of any Navy ships finding them, it did not however bring them safety from civil unrest on the island. The sailors and natives had children together but civil unrest due to racial tensions led to the murder of almost all of the British sailors apart from John Adams. It was John Adams who was discovered in 1808 by Captain Mayhew Folger of the American whaling ship Topaz. By then he had converted the islanders to Christianity, thanks to the ship's bible keeping him on a righteous patch. Adams was eventually granted amnesty for the mutiny. Descendants from those first 1700s HMS Bounty mutineers still live on this archipelago.

This is charming example of 19th century folk art! This wonderful hand carved flying fish was produced on the Pitcairn Islands during the late 19th century when carving and selling wooden items to visiting ships became a main source of income for the islanders.

The figure has been carved by hand, a truly wonderful example of 19th century folk art. The wings of the fish each features hand carved text reading ‘Souvenir From Pitcairn'.

This is the perfect item for anyone who loves all things folk art, a unique item from a remote island. It has travelled some 9000 miles to us here in the UK!

Measuring: Width 12 inch (31 cm) by height 5 ½ inch (14 cm). Base width 5 ½ inch (14 cm) by depth 2 7/8 inch (7.5 cm).

Condition: A lovely natural patina. Light surface wear commensurate with age. There is a old drying fault to one of the wings, perfectly stable. Old repair to end of tail.

Item id:15786