291 - A tapa called “masi,” framed under glass, from Fiji. A square-shaped cloth decorated with pounded bark of the paper mulberry tree (Broussonetia papyifera). The design consists of six registers of friezes, forming concentric rectangles. The friezes mirror one another, lending a harmonious symmetry to the whole. Registers 1 and 3 take the form of a string of serrated olives, each marked with a sort of clover in the center. The motif is white on a dark burgundy background. Registers 2 and 4 consist of a broad wave flanked by zigzags, both white, on a black background. The center of the tapa consists of two registers: the fifth is a mirror image of itself and features, in white on a dark burgundy background, a typically Oceanic abstract motif—a stylized standing human figure; the sixth register is a simple floral frieze, white on a black background.Traditionally, the masi (and more generally, the tapa) was used for clothing (both everyday and ceremonial). But clothing was not its only use. Tapa was also a prestigious gift, serving as wrapping that conferred a certain prestige (and even protection) on the object it enclosed. Though made by women, the masi (like the tapa) was most often used by men. The arrival of Europeans changed the use of tapa: its decorative patterns made it a common item of trade. The dimensions of this tapa attest to this use; it therefore falls into the category known as “masi kesa.” Fijian people, Fiji (Polynesia). Without a base. Dimensions: 64.5 x 62 cm (visible area) Estimated date: Second half of the 20th century Provenance: French private collection Selected bibliography: - Tapa. Barkcloth and Decorations of Oceania, Museum of New Caledonia; pp. 46–53—Fergus CLUNIE, Yalo i Viti, Fiji Museum; pp. 126–140—Simon KOOIJMAN, Polynesian Barkcloth, Shire Ethnography; pp. 37–54—see also online: https://blogs.missouristate.edu/arthistory/fijian-tapa-cloth-researched-and-conserved-by-raegan-cash/Corpus for comparison:- Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac (Paris): 71.2002.13.80 & 71.1943.0.406 X Expert: Nicolas Corigliano – Cabinet Corail & Mana