Description:

**Originally Listed At $900**

Oceania, Polynesia, Cook Islands, Mangaia, ca. late 19th to 20th century CE. A striking wooden adze haft or toki, meticulously hand-carved with dozens of horizontal bands of zigzag motifs. It is said that Mangaian adzes like this example "enshrine the finest of woodwork, binding and stonework." As Te Rangi Hiroa notes, the length of ceremonial toki such as this "usually exceeds greatly that of the working adzes" since they were never intended for use in cutting wood; rather "it is probable that master craftsmen kept a carved adz[e] and went through some ritual with this craft symbol, when occasion warranted [...] in a culture in which working adzes underwent a temple ritual to obtain mana from the god Tane, there is little wonder that one area should have developed an adz[e] symbol for the tutelary deity of craftsmen, Tane-mata-ariki." (Te Rangi Hiroa, Arts and Crafts of the Cook Islands, Honolulu, 1944, p. 383 and 394-395). Size: 1.75" L x 5" W x 40" H (4.4 cm x 12.7 cm x 101.6 cm); 42" H (106.7 cm) on included custom stand

Provenance: private Newport Beach, California, USA collection

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#135714

  • Condition: Missing adze blade with chipping to hafting slit, as well as nicks and abrasions in areas, commensurate with age. A few stable hairline pressure fissures. Otherwise, haft is intact and has an excellent overall presentation with nice preservation of detail.

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March 1, 2024 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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