- 21
Boîte, Maori, Nouvelle-Zélande
Estimate
80,000 - 100,000 EUR
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Description
- Maori
- Boîte
- haut. 16 cm
- 6 1/3 in
Provenance
Collection Carlo Monzino, Castagnola
Collection privée
Collection privée
Condition
Please refer to the department, + 33 1 53 05 52 67, alexis.maggiar@sothebys.com
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Les boîtes Maori dont le réceptacle est porté par une figure assise sont extrêmement rares. Selon Hamilton (1896, pl. LXII, n° 3-5), elles devaient servir à conserver des dents de requin ou des petits ornements d’oreille en néphrite.
Voir Force (1971, p. 35) pour la boîte à l’iconographie et au style très apparentés de la Collection Fuller d’arts du Pacifique, conservée au Field Museum of Natural History ; également Sotheby 's (Londres, 8 juillet 1974, n° 73) et Christie's (Londres, juillet 1990, n° 131) pour une autre, provenant de la collection Ken Webster, dont la notice spécifiait qu’elle était alors la seule encore détenue en mains privées.
Le personnage assis se déploie dans la tension des courbes et des contrecourbes, décuplant la puissance de la tête surdimensionnée au visage envahi de tatouages en volutes, les yeux à l’oblique sertis de nacre. La rigueur du nez sculpté dans le prolongement du front accentue la dynamique de la bouche projetée au premier plan, se refermant sur le couvercle d’où émerge un personnage en haut-relief. A la petite dimension de la sculpture répond la saisissante monumentalité de l'œuvre, dont l'impact visuel est accentué par la confrontation des visages - s'imposant dès lors comme la plus aboutie du corpus.
Les trois autres boîtes comparables - variant essentiellement dans la conception du couvercle – sont : celle entrée en 1862 dans les collections de l’actuel National Museums of Scotland d’Edimbourg (Hamilton, 1896, pl. LXII, fig. 3-5) au couvercle non figuratif, une autre également publiée par Hamilton (idem, fig. 2), dont le réceptacle est porté sur le dos du personnage et la boîte Oldman provenant de l’ancienne collection Belsham (vers 1846 ; Memoires of the Polynesian Society, vol. 14, pl. 35, n° 171).
Le nombre très restreint de ces boîtes, ajouté à leur forte parenté stylistique – notamment dans la tête du personnage cariatide -, permet de supposer une même origine, sur la côte orientale de l’île Nord, et d’estimer leur ancienneté, en raison de la profonde patine nuancée et des quelques dates connues d’entrée dans les collections, entre la fin du XVIIIe siècle et la première moitié du XIXe siècle.
Maori treasure box, New Zealand
Maori boxes with a seated figure carrying a receptacle are extremely rare. According to Hamilton (1896, pl. LXII, nos. 3-5), these boxes were used to keep shark teeth or small nephrite ear ornaments.
See Force (1971, p. 35) for a box with similar style and iconology from the Fuller Collection of Pacific Artifacts at the Field Museum of Natural History; Sotheby's (London, 8 July 1974, lot 73) and Christie's (London, 3 July 1990, lot 131) for another one, formerly in the Ken Webster Collection. At the time the catalogue note for the latter specified that it was the only one known to still be in private hands.
The seated figure unfolds here in a tense series of curves and counter-curves, greatly increasing the forceful appearance of the oversized head, with its face covered in spiralling tattoos and its slanting mother of pearl inlaid eyes. The stark lines of the nose, which extends directly from the forehead emphasize the dynamics of the mouth, which projects in the foreground and closes on the lid, wherefrom, in turn, a character in high relief emerges. The small scale of the sculpture contrasts with the striking monumentality of the piece itself, the visual impact of which is accentuated by the confrontation of the faces - thus standing out as the most accomplished in the corpus.
The three other comparable boxes - varying mainly in the design of the lid - are: the one that entered the collections of what is now known as the National Museums of Scotland, in Edinburgh, in 1862 (Hamilton, 1896, pl. LXII, fig. 3-5) which features a non-figurative lid; another, also published by Hamilton (ibid, fig. 2), whose receptacle is carried on the back of the character, and the Oldman box from the former Belsham Collection (circa 1846; Memoires of the Polynesian Society, vol. 14, pl. 35, n° 171).
From the very limited number of these boxes, as well as their strong stylistic relationship - especially in the head of the caryatid figure - it can be surmised that they all share a common origin - western coast of the North Island. Their age can also be estimated, using indications such as the deep nuanced patina and a few known dates of entry into various collections, as dating from a period comprised between the late 18th century and the first half of the 19th century.
Voir Force (1971, p. 35) pour la boîte à l’iconographie et au style très apparentés de la Collection Fuller d’arts du Pacifique, conservée au Field Museum of Natural History ; également Sotheby 's (Londres, 8 juillet 1974, n° 73) et Christie's (Londres, juillet 1990, n° 131) pour une autre, provenant de la collection Ken Webster, dont la notice spécifiait qu’elle était alors la seule encore détenue en mains privées.
Le personnage assis se déploie dans la tension des courbes et des contrecourbes, décuplant la puissance de la tête surdimensionnée au visage envahi de tatouages en volutes, les yeux à l’oblique sertis de nacre. La rigueur du nez sculpté dans le prolongement du front accentue la dynamique de la bouche projetée au premier plan, se refermant sur le couvercle d’où émerge un personnage en haut-relief. A la petite dimension de la sculpture répond la saisissante monumentalité de l'œuvre, dont l'impact visuel est accentué par la confrontation des visages - s'imposant dès lors comme la plus aboutie du corpus.
Les trois autres boîtes comparables - variant essentiellement dans la conception du couvercle – sont : celle entrée en 1862 dans les collections de l’actuel National Museums of Scotland d’Edimbourg (Hamilton, 1896, pl. LXII, fig. 3-5) au couvercle non figuratif, une autre également publiée par Hamilton (idem, fig. 2), dont le réceptacle est porté sur le dos du personnage et la boîte Oldman provenant de l’ancienne collection Belsham (vers 1846 ; Memoires of the Polynesian Society, vol. 14, pl. 35, n° 171).
Le nombre très restreint de ces boîtes, ajouté à leur forte parenté stylistique – notamment dans la tête du personnage cariatide -, permet de supposer une même origine, sur la côte orientale de l’île Nord, et d’estimer leur ancienneté, en raison de la profonde patine nuancée et des quelques dates connues d’entrée dans les collections, entre la fin du XVIIIe siècle et la première moitié du XIXe siècle.
Maori treasure box, New Zealand
Maori boxes with a seated figure carrying a receptacle are extremely rare. According to Hamilton (1896, pl. LXII, nos. 3-5), these boxes were used to keep shark teeth or small nephrite ear ornaments.
See Force (1971, p. 35) for a box with similar style and iconology from the Fuller Collection of Pacific Artifacts at the Field Museum of Natural History; Sotheby's (London, 8 July 1974, lot 73) and Christie's (London, 3 July 1990, lot 131) for another one, formerly in the Ken Webster Collection. At the time the catalogue note for the latter specified that it was the only one known to still be in private hands.
The seated figure unfolds here in a tense series of curves and counter-curves, greatly increasing the forceful appearance of the oversized head, with its face covered in spiralling tattoos and its slanting mother of pearl inlaid eyes. The stark lines of the nose, which extends directly from the forehead emphasize the dynamics of the mouth, which projects in the foreground and closes on the lid, wherefrom, in turn, a character in high relief emerges. The small scale of the sculpture contrasts with the striking monumentality of the piece itself, the visual impact of which is accentuated by the confrontation of the faces - thus standing out as the most accomplished in the corpus.
The three other comparable boxes - varying mainly in the design of the lid - are: the one that entered the collections of what is now known as the National Museums of Scotland, in Edinburgh, in 1862 (Hamilton, 1896, pl. LXII, fig. 3-5) which features a non-figurative lid; another, also published by Hamilton (ibid, fig. 2), whose receptacle is carried on the back of the character, and the Oldman box from the former Belsham Collection (circa 1846; Memoires of the Polynesian Society, vol. 14, pl. 35, n° 171).
From the very limited number of these boxes, as well as their strong stylistic relationship - especially in the head of the caryatid figure - it can be surmised that they all share a common origin - western coast of the North Island. Their age can also be estimated, using indications such as the deep nuanced patina and a few known dates of entry into various collections, as dating from a period comprised between the late 18th century and the first half of the 19th century.