Auction: Very Early Maori Artefacts From Wellington Region

Very Early Maori Artefacts Originating From the Wellington Region up for Auction

A rare group of Maori artefacts, some dating from the 13th and 15th century will be offered at Webb’s Oceanic & African Art Auction to be held in March. The group was sourced by Webb’s Wellington based Tribal Art specialist Jeff Hobbs who says “a group of this quality, from such an early period is rarely seen on the auction market and these fine examples present a fascinating window into the past”

The highlight of the group is the Rei Puta, considered to be one of the rarest forms of Maori adornment. The Rei Puta was a chiefly signifier worn by the ancestors of the Moa hunters of Aotearoa. The style can be traced back to eastern Polynesia and the first wave of adventurers to land during the turn of the last millennium. Characteristically, it has a curved form with a pierced hole for suspension and a seal-like head. In 1769 Captain Cook’s official artist Sydney Parkinson depicted a chief's son from the Bay of Islands wearing such a pendant. The Rei Puta later declined in popularity, as Maori increasingly favoured the Hei Tiki neck pendants in humanistic form made from nephrite or bone. The Rei Puta is estimated to sell at auction for around $20,000 to $30,000

Also included in the group is a rare Moriori bone fish hook from the Chatham islands , a Hei Pounamu Kuru greenstone pendant and a masterfully carved whale bone hook.

ENDS

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