Figurehead (pakoko or tete) from a fishing canoe
- Artist Culture
- Maori artist
- Date
- 18th to early 19th century
- Material
- Wood
- made in
- New Zealand, Oceania
- Classification
- Sculpture, tools & equipment
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 109
- Dimensions
- 15 3/8 x 8 7/16 x 16 1/8 in. (39 x 21.5 x 41 cm)
- Credit Line
- Bequest of Morton D. May
- Rights
- Contact Us
- Object Number
- 1558:1983
NOTES
Appearing defiant with a thick protruding tongue, this tiki head was attached to the bow of a waka tete, or fishing canoe. Its aggressive face would have pointed outward, parting the sea with its powerful force. The curved and spiral patterns around the mouth likely represent moko, intricate tattoos that communicate personal history as well as tribal status. The eyes of the head were once inlaid with iridescent shells.
Provenance
c.1880s - still in 1978
A. H. W. Williams (d.1939), England; J. L. H. Williams, England, by gift or inheritance [1]
1978/06/13
In auction "Important Tribal Art," Christie's, London, June 13, 1978, lot no. 239 [2]
by 1980 - 1981
HRN Primitives (Ronnie Nasser), New York, NY, USA [3]
1981 - 1983
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, USA, acquired from HRN Primitives, by exchange [4]
1983 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Morton D. May [5]
Notes:
[1] According to a 1978 auction catalog, A. H. W. Williams brought the piece from New Zealand to England between 1880 and 1890. J. L. H. Williams, the son of A. H. W. Williams, offered the piece at auction in 1978 ["Important Tribal Art," Christie's, London, June 13, 1978, lot no. 239, p. 21]. A price list provided by Christie’s confirms 1558:1983 was sold at the auction.
[2] See Note [1].
[3] Ronnie Nasser of HRN Primitives refers to the canoe prow in a letter to Morton D. May dated December 3, 1980. In a letter dated December 9, 1980 to Lee A. Parsons, curator at the Saint Louis Art Museum, May states Nasser offered the canoe prow as a trade [letters in May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[4] An invoice dated January 8, 1981 from HRN Primitives to Morton D. May documents May’s acquisition of this object, listed as “Canoe Prow in Form of Human Head…” May traded two German paintings for 1558:1983, breastplate 1557:1983, and coconut grater 1559:1983 [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[5] Last Will and Testament of M. D. May dated June 11, 1982 [copy, May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum]. Minutes of the Acquisitions and Loans Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, September 20, 1983.
A. H. W. Williams (d.1939), England; J. L. H. Williams, England, by gift or inheritance [1]
1978/06/13
In auction "Important Tribal Art," Christie's, London, June 13, 1978, lot no. 239 [2]
by 1980 - 1981
HRN Primitives (Ronnie Nasser), New York, NY, USA [3]
1981 - 1983
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, USA, acquired from HRN Primitives, by exchange [4]
1983 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, bequest of Morton D. May [5]
Notes:
[1] According to a 1978 auction catalog, A. H. W. Williams brought the piece from New Zealand to England between 1880 and 1890. J. L. H. Williams, the son of A. H. W. Williams, offered the piece at auction in 1978 ["Important Tribal Art," Christie's, London, June 13, 1978, lot no. 239, p. 21]. A price list provided by Christie’s confirms 1558:1983 was sold at the auction.
[2] See Note [1].
[3] Ronnie Nasser of HRN Primitives refers to the canoe prow in a letter to Morton D. May dated December 3, 1980. In a letter dated December 9, 1980 to Lee A. Parsons, curator at the Saint Louis Art Museum, May states Nasser offered the canoe prow as a trade [letters in May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[4] An invoice dated January 8, 1981 from HRN Primitives to Morton D. May documents May’s acquisition of this object, listed as “Canoe Prow in Form of Human Head…” May traded two German paintings for 1558:1983, breastplate 1557:1983, and coconut grater 1559:1983 [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[5] Last Will and Testament of M. D. May dated June 11, 1982 [copy, May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum]. Minutes of the Acquisitions and Loans Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, September 20, 1983.