Description:

Oceania, French Polynesia, Austral Islands, ca. 19th century CE. A hand-carved adze blade known as a Fao'a ("adze") with a gradually sloped blade head flanked with slanted peripheries. The stocky shoulders reinforce the blade head and provide ample force behind its efficacy, and a thick tang would have been wrapped with interior wooden fibers - to absorb some of the vibrations - and an iron exterior layer to hold a handle; remains of both wood and iron are visible on this tang. Adze blades made from ofa'i (stone) are some of the most important tools in pre-contact Polynesia and Melanesia, as its denizens were unfamiliar with the process of forging metal. A beautiful example covered in smooth patina. Size: 3.625" W x 8.8" H (9.2 cm x 22.4 cm); 9.125" H (23.2 cm) on included custom stand.

For a stylistically similar example if a Fao'a, please see The Auckland Museum (Tamaki Paenga Hira), accession number 1937.113

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex Abe Rosman collection, New York City, New York, USA, 1960 to 2000

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.

Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#154510

  • Condition: Losses to frontal areas of wood and iron on tang as shown. Minor nicks and abrasions to blade edge, body, shoulders, and tang, with light encrustations near tang. Smooth patina throughout.

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Artemis Fine Arts

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