Collection Search

Marble Madonna (Virgin Mary) and child

Wooden carved wheku/koruru. Painted dark red and black. Carved with a rauponga (grooves and notches) and spiral pattern around the figure's mouth, tongue, nostrils, and top of the forehead. Paua shell inlaid into slanted eyes, held in place by metal pieces. Two perforations at the mouth on either side of protruding tongue. Back side has a piece of curved wood with a perforation for suspension.

Contemporary carved waharoa (gateway) depicting the three waka Uruao, Araiteuru, and Takitimu. The waharoa consists of a centre panel, two exterior side panels, and two interior side panels. Centre panel and exterior side panels are painted in shades of reds, green, yellow, black, and white. Each exterior side panel has a projection depicting a waka prow with a figure in the centre. Four other ancestral figures are carved down the height of the panels, one on top of the other, with geometric shapes on the centre and sides. The centre panel has three ancestral figures carved one on top of the other, with a projection depicting a waka stern. Two ancestral figures stand on either side of the centre piece, amongst geometric shapes representing waves. Two unpainted interior panels are carved from totara with two ancestral figures each, one on top of the other, stands on either side of the interior frame. The figures have paua shell eyes, projecting tongues, and are holding hoe (waka paddles

Complete poutokamanawa (carved building component) made of totara. Realistic (not stylized) male figure, painted red with white on eyes and mouth and black irises and moko. Earlobes have perforations for pendants. Grooved comb protruding from head. Five-fingered hands rest on lower abdomen. Body with clavicles and rib cage suggested but body otherwise plain. No genitals depicted. Sawn off just above the ankles and attached to a black painted base.

Wooden kokeshi doll.

High-rimmed bowl. This shape first appears about 770 BC amongst pottery attributed to an artist now known as the Dipylon Painter, one of the great artists of this period. The decoration around the rim is not typical of the Dipylon workshop, and suggests another workshop had copied the shape. 750-720 BC

Complete ko (digging stick). The square shaft tapers towards the grip. The grip is an asymmetrical, circular handle. The distal end comes to a blunted point. Approximately 35cm from the distal end, a footrest has been attached. The footrest is attached with three nails. The connecting surface of the footrest has an ornimetal arrowhead pointed towards the distal end.

Cast of a waka huia. Two large pieces have broken off either end of the lid, one is missing. Painted dark brown. Rectangular box with double-sided manaia or human figures at each end. The exterior sides of the box are carved with rauru (double spirals). The exterior side of the bottom of the box has a set of four human figures carved down spine, with rauru along either side. Interior of box is undecorated and shallow. The exterior side of the lid has a high relief carving of four figures down the centre line as a handle. The pointed legs of the two end figures double as lid fittings cut into base.