figure;
gable-ornament
- Museum number
- Oc1904,-.244
- Description
-
Gable figure (tekoteko).Wooden, naturalistic, standing male figure stained red, with topknot, deeply incised facial tattoo in black and slit eyes; left handon chest, right on stomach; plain spirals on shoulders and hips, pakura on hands and lower arms; no genitals. Wheku face below with haliotis-shell eyes, pakura on face, rauponga on nose. Names, mostly illegible, written on back of head and front of legs.
- Dimensions
-
Height: 65.50 centimetres
-
Width: 17.50 centimetres
-
Depth: 8.50 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- Illustrated on cover of D.C. Starzecka (ed), 'Maori: Art and Culture', London, British Museum Press, 1998
Comments: Poverty Bay/East Coast, 1830s–40s, well proportioned (RN); East Coast, nineteenth century (DRS).
References: Barrow 1969: fig. 161; Te Riria and Simmons 1989: 22.14; Te Riria and Simmons 1999: E.
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
1998 27 Jun-1 Nov, London, BM, Maori
2015-2016 11 Dec-20 Mar, South Korea, Seoul Arts Centre, Human Image
- Acquisition date
- 1904
- Acquisition notes
- Collection from Turvey Abbey, Turvey, Bedfordshire purchased from Mr H. Longuet Higgins. The acquisition had been under consideration for a long time. A letter (Dept of Prehistory & Europe) dated 31 May 1890 sent by Augustus Franks to a Mr Edward Maunde Thompson (Principal Librarian/Director 1888-1909) discusses visiting to see the collection of Mrs Higgins of Turvey Abbey, a daughter of his old colleague Thomas Burgon & sister of Dean Burgon. The collection was likely to 'be interesting as collected a long time ago.'
- Department
- Africa, Oceania and the Americas
- Registration number
- Oc1904,-.244
- Additional IDs
-
CDMS number: Oc1904C3.244 (old CDMS no.)