Post #439913 by TabooDan on Sat, Mar 14, 2009 10:23 AM

Hey Kaneoheboy, welcome to Tiki Central!! You will find tons of stuff on here that you will probably have alot of interest in. Lot's of information and lots of great photos to look at! Spend some time looking around!!

As for your velvet painting, it is quite nice! It is based on a velvet painting that was done in the 1940's to very early 1950's (pre-1953) by an artist named Edgar Leeteg. It is one of his more famous works after his most famous velvet paintings called Hina Rapa (below).

The painting you have is based on the original by Leeteg called Tahitian Drummer. One original example of this velvet painting still on display is at the Waldorf Hotel, in the Tahitian Lounge, here in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

This is the original here:

Your painting which is also on velvet has alot of good details and is actually pretty well done. Compared to the original, it looses alot of these things, but on it's own it is a nice piece.
I managed to get one that is very similar to yours and it is signed by an painter named "Sylvia". Your painting, and even the old frame and matt, makes me wonder a little more about mine. The example I have is very close to yours but the details and color are alot more crisper. I wonder if there was a studio or a couple artists that created these paintings in the 1960's based on Leeteg's work and sold them in Hawaii to tourists?

The original Leeteg velvets can sell for thousands of dollars so this may be the closest you get for a while. It's got that extra bit of history for you as it was passed on to you so it makes it that more special!

Hope this helps a bit!!

Oh....and do show your pictures of carvings and Maori items (including heads/faces) as ALOT of people are really into these type of pieces here on TC. That face is cool!! Should be hanging from a bamboo stake somewhere!! Your unusal carving is also a nice piece! Thanks for sharing!!

Mahalo, TabooDan