oceania | New Zealand
Hei Tiki
New Zealand
Large Hei Tiki pendant
Maori
19th century
Carved Greenstone (pounamou nephrite)
Height: 13 cm – 5 ¼ in.
Provenance
Galerie Lemaire, Amsterdam, circa 1980s
By descent, collection Finette Lemaire, Amsterdam
Collection Martin Doustar, Brussels
Collection Arnaud Kurc, Paris, acquired from the above
Publication
« Greeting Card », Galerie Lemaire, Amsterdam, 1984
Hei Tiki 13 cm / Galerie FLAK
Price: on request
This carved Hei Tiki figure is a representation of the primordial ancestor of the Maori people. This pendant is carved in a superb piece of nephrite (pounamu in the Maori language). This greenstone, which is found only on the South Island of New Zealand, was a highly valuable material. It was particularly prized by the Maori for its hardness and its color.
The figure is shown head-on, his head leaning very slightly to the left. The facial features (nose, mouth, eyes) are finely and deeply carved.
Hei Tiki pendants were worn around the neck on a narrow cord of woven fibers. These prestige ornaments were passed on from generation to generation.
Hei Tiki pendants were said to bring the protection of the clan ancestors to the wearer, and served as a statement of the clan’s affiliation, going back to Tiki, the mythical warrior.
The figure is shown head-on, his head leaning very slightly to the left. The facial features (nose, mouth, eyes) are finely and deeply carved.
Hei Tiki pendants were worn around the neck on a narrow cord of woven fibers. These prestige ornaments were passed on from generation to generation.
Hei Tiki pendants were said to bring the protection of the clan ancestors to the wearer, and served as a statement of the clan’s affiliation, going back to Tiki, the mythical warrior.
Documentation
Portrait of Pare Watene with a Hei tiki & a Patu
Maori, New Zealand, Polynesia
Between 1871 and 1878
Vintage gelatin silver print
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