Lot 1257

A model of a boat made of cloves, Indonesia, 19th/20th century -45 x 58 cm-. Model boats made from cloves were made to sell to European visitors as souvenirs of the Spice Islands (Indonesia) showing how important crossing the sea was to the spice trade. Cloves (Syzygium caryophyllata) were one of the spices traded long distances by sea from Southeast Asia to China, India and Europe for thousands of years. Cloves were native to only five tiny, volcanic islands in the East Indian Archipelago: Ternate, Matir, Tidore, Makian and Bacan, all belonging to the Maluku Islands or the Moluccas.