Circa 1860 "Pleasing the Spirits" paddle up for auction (again)

Bonham's  Auctions is featuring a circa 1860 paddle in their upcoming NATIVE AMERICAN & TRIBAL ART auction, set for 8 November 2023. LOT 84 features "A Northeastern Woodlands canoe paddle" which might be familiar to readers of this blog.

A Northeastern Woodlands canoe paddle

Malecite(?), c. 1860s

63 3/4 in.

Provenance: Private collection, New York. 
Collected in the St. John's River area of New Brunswick, Canada.

The uniquely carved stepped grip of this paddle features some floral incised decorative elements.

This paddle was originally illustrated in an exhibition catalog from 1982, Pleasing the Spirits. A Catalogue of a collection of American Indian Art by Douglas C. Ewing, Page 385, plate 474. It was up for auction back in 2009 where it fetched a realized price $2500 after being valued at $700. It seems to have been up for auction again in 2017. I made a replica from maple back in 2020 and it has become one of my favourites for relaxed solo paddling. Hopefully this treasure will go to a good home where it will be valued for the historic piece that it is.

Nov 10 2023 Update: Paddle sold for $3200 US (including buyer's premium)

Paddle Related Reading: Cabin Collectibles by Ralph R. Kylloe

Cabin collectibles by Ralph R. Kylloe (2000) is available to digitally borrow on Archive.org. The opening chapter discusses the use of paddles and canoes as decorative objects. The section is well illustrated with photos as well as as generic descriptions of grip styles...

Large Penobscot paddle with sun carving

From a dated listing on Worthpoint.com are some photos of an antique Penobscot paddle estimated to be circa 1900. The grain pattern is consistent with Ash. It is a very large design at 78" long with an 8" wide beavertail blade painted in a faded grayish paint and along with a classic Penobscot 5-stepped grip handle. Apparently found in an estate in Northern New Hampshire along the Androscroggin River.

Penobscot Paddle

78 inches long x 8" wide

Gray Paint on Blade

Grip Closeup

The upper grip face features a nail hole, likely used to suspend the paddle on the wall as decoration or as a method of hanging the freshly carved paddle to dry and eliminate warping of the green wood. The upper palm rest also features a circular chip-carved, sun motif .

Antique Penobscot Paddle

An Ebay seller has a listing for an antique Penobscot paddle acquired from a Maine estate. Unfortunately there is no date associated with the item. Likely carved from maple, the 62 inch long paddle shows heavy signs of usage including abrasion on the shaft, splits at the blade tip and a chipped edge on one side of the blade.  Still, the carving details of the grip shows it was made by some skilled hands.

Antique Penobscot Paddle

Split blade tip and chipped edge (upper left)

Grip Closeup

"N.S. Graves" Antique Birdseye Paddle

On March 25, 2017,  John McInnis Auctioneers will be hosted their 3-Day Spring Estates Auction. Lot 0604 is a 63 inch Birdseye Maple paddle which looks to be in very good condition. Unfortunately there is no date attributed to the paddle, but it does feature a unique carved grip. Indented into the wood at the base is the name "N.S. Graves."

LOT 0640 

N.S. GRAVES WOODEN PADDLE
Birdseye maple 

Length 63 inches

LOT 0640 

N.S. GRAVES WOODEN PADDLE 
Carved handle

Cherry Gallery: Unique Scroll Grip Paddle

Another fascinating paddle find has been listed by the folks over at CherryGallery.com. Their September 2016 page of current items has a listing of a paddle with a very interesting, assymetrical scroll grip.

Scroll Grip Canoe Paddle

Circa 1900

7" w, 66" h

Here's their writeup on this unique piece which has already sold...

We have handled hundreds of quality antique canoe paddles, but never one quite like this example which turned up in a downeast Maine estate. It is a birch paddle with a rolled grip finished on the ends with concentric ring buttons. The grip eases into a gracefully chamfered flat handle. The tapered blade has flared shoulders and a pronounced center ridge which is characteristics of northeastern Native designs. The old, slightly crazed finish is superb.

Scroll grip closeup

Scroll grip closeup

Circa 1900 Maple Penobscot Paddle

The May Current Selections of the CherryGallery.com features a hefty Maple paddle with a massive 8" wide beavertail blade and traditional Penobscot stepped grip...

Penobscot Canoe Paddle
This Native American maple canoe paddle has a wide beaver tail blade and a wide grip. The stepped handle is a traditional form that was made by Penobscot guides working in the Moosehead Lake (Maine) region.
Circa 1900
8" w, 72" h
SOLD

The photos include a great lateral shot of the stepped grip, showing how the handle gradually tapers down in thickness. Might be useful for anyone attempting to replicate this style of comfortable grip pattern.

Penobscot stepped grip lateral view

Additional Photos: Eldred Folk Art Paddle

More photos have been posted of the "Folk Art Paddle" from Eldred's Auctioneers (see original post here). The original listing only showcased the blade, but there are now more pics of the entire paddle, including a closeup of the decoration on the grip.

CARVED AND DECORATED CANOE PADDLE
Late 19th Century
With polychrome geometric decoration, pyrographic acorn decoration and a découpaged image of an American Native's bust. Length 66." 

Update: December 2, 2015: Sold for $325 

Grip Closeup

Sassafras Guide Paddle - Slowly back to carving

Well after receiving a wonderful batch of Sassafras stock from friend Craig Johnson last summer, I've finally had time to properly cut a paddle blank out. Since converting my cherry guide paddle into an heirloom gift from my 2nd son, I've wanted to replicate the original design to serve as a heavy user tripping paddle.

Unfortunately with 2 active boys at home and other projects on the go, it's been quite a while since the shaving horse has seen any usage. After being stored outside in a sheltered spot under an outdoor table, the horse has come out a bit weathered but still functional.

Here is the blank cut out...

A new paddle in the works

At this early stage, the edges of the paddle have been smoothed down and the carving lines all marked out for carving. I still use the method taught years ago at the Canadian Canoe Museum paddle workshop. If readers care to see that tutorial, you can read a step by step method in one of my earliest earliest  posts from way back in January, 2008.

River Grace's Kennebec & Northwoods Paddle

The current August edition of the Wooden Canoe Journal has a stunning cover photo of a young Teen paddling a beautiful little canoe. Turns out the main article features 15 year old River Grace of Florida and his restoration job on a 12 foot Kennebec canoe dated to 1926. It is a lovely story of his patient restoration efforts which took over 4 years to complete. Unfortunately, no details were provided about the beautiful looking Northwoods paddle with a distinctive scalloped grip.  For anyone interested, there's a brief online article in Florida Today about this young lad and his canoe story.

River Grace navigates the St. Johns River.
(Photo: Dr. Michael Grace/for FLORIDA TODAY)