Tahitian Drummer

Aloha, my first post.

I'm not a big collector of tiki but born and raised in Hawaii, now living on the mainland.

Earlier this evening I was trying to research a velvet painting of mine and found this forum. This painting has been in my family since before I was born and years back my Mother gave it to me. I believe my parents bought it on O'ahu in the 1950's. I love it but my wife does not appreciate it and so it has resided in the watercloset (lua) for the past ten years.

I cannot find a signature on it. Just thought I would share since some here may find interest in it.

I forgot to mention that the painting is certainly not pristine. It's more of a daily driver as you can see.

After I posted those pictures I realized I actually do have a tiki in my house. Again, certainly no collectors item but it has been in the family awhile.

I'll also post a picture of one of my favorites although I realize this forum may not be the place for it. It is a little Maori warrior face handed down to me by my father.

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

TabooDan, thank you for the reply. I especially want to thank you for posting the leeteg drummer picture. I found his paintings while researching but did not find that particular one.

I believe my parents bought my painting at the International Market Place in Waikiki in the late 1950's. They lived on O'ahu from '56 to '59 before returning to Canada for a few years. They returned to live on O'ahu in 1966 and I'm almost certain the piece was purchased prior to then.

I will stick around as I can tell there is much to see here.

Thank you