Lot 56
  • 56

Two Calcite Pounders, Mangaia, Cook Islands

Estimate
2,000 - 3,000 USD
Log in to view results
bidding is closed

Description

  • calcite
  • Heights: 5 3/4 & 5 3/8 in (14.7 & 13.8 cm)

Provenance

Lynda Cunningham, New York

Catalogue Note

Geologists believe that Mangaia is the oldest island in the Pacific Ocean, formed at least 18 million years ago. Fossilized cliffs made of coral, called the makatea, surround the island in a breathtaking scene of natural beauty; the cliffs’ fissures contain deep caves of limestone from which islanders extracted the calcite used to make these pounders. Carved into quiet emblems of resilience and strength, they were used to smash the sinewy roots of the taro vegetable. Visually and aesthetically, the calcite used for these pounders shares an affinity with materials that comprise pieces of antiquity, such as pre-dynastic Egyptian alabaster vessels and Bactrian ritual marble objects.