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Fishnet Float (Kopalla) - Image 1
Fishnet Float (Kopalla) - Image 2
Fishnet Float (Kopalla) - Image 3
Fishnet Float (Kopalla) - Image 4
Fishnet Float (Kopalla) - Image 5
Fishnet Float (Kopalla) - Image 6

Solomon Islands

Fishnet Float (Kopalla)

Solomon Islands, 1900-1932

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Solomon Islands

Fishnet Float (Kopalla)

Solomon Islands, 1900-1932

Physical Qualities Wood, pigment, H. 7 1/2 in. (19.1 cm.)
Credit Line Gift of Alan Wurtzburger
Object Number 1955.251.125
A boy rides a giant turtle [1955.251.128]. A man grinds fish bait in a mortar [1955.251.129]. Two people hold the fish they have caught. These simple moments between humans and the ocean are captured by these sculptures, which were once attached to fishnets and floated atop the water like buoys. Although Solomon Islands artists created these floats to help fishers keep their nets open, they also beautifully demonstrate the intimate relationship Oceanic societies had with the sea. In the 1890s, Solomon Islanders described these objects using the word debbleum, a term used to identify objects that interacted with the spirit beings who lived in the natural world.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by gift, 1955; Alan Wurtzburger
Wurtzburger Traveling

Oceanic Gallery Rotations 2021

Oceanic Gallery Rotations 2022

Oceanic Gallery Rotations 2023

Oceanic Wing Rotations 2025
Douglas F. Fraser & Paul S. Wingret, "The Wurtzburger Collection of Oceanic Art" , BMA 1956 pg. 34. cat no. 125.
Howarth, Crispin, and Deborah Waite. Varilaku: Pacific Arts from the Solomon Islands. National Gallery of Australia, 2011.

Explore the Collection Further

Solomon Islands
Fishnet Float (Kopalla)
1900–1932
Mono and Solomon Islands
Water Bottle
1900–1932
Fishnet Float (Kopalla)
1900
Roviana and Solomon Islands
Canoe Prow Ornament (Nguzu Nguzu)
1907
Cornelis Schut
Virgin, with Floating Draperies, Embraced by Child
1616–1654
Cornelis Schut
Three Children Floating on Clouds, One Holding a Scarf
1616–1654
James C. Allen, François Thomas Louis Francia, and others
Floating Dock at Rotherhithe
1840–1830
Édouard Manet and J. Lefman
That Shadow That Lies Floating on the Floor (The Chair)
1874
Édouard Manet and J. Lefman
That Shadow That Lies Floating on the Floor (The Chair)
1874