MASSUE AKATARA, RAROTONGA, ÎLES COOK |

Massue Akatara, Rarotonga, Îles Cook

Collection privée, Ipswich
Collection privée, Royaume-Uni 

Excellent condition overall. Some extremities are broken but very well patinated and wear consistent with age and use within the culture. Fine brown and nuanced patina.
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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."

À l'instar des massues U'u des Îles Marquises, les massues Akatara de l'archipel des Îles Cook sont emblématiques de l'art polynésien. Elles sont cependant beaucoup plus rares. Dès les années 1820, leur collecte systématique par les évangélistes de la London Missionary Society - contrastant avec la destruction des idoles locales - alimenta très tôt les collections institutionnelles, notamment celle du British Museum (inv. n° Oc.7205) ainsi que les prestigieuses collections de William Oldman (Oldman, 1943, pl. 31) ou de James Hooper (Phelps, 1976, pls. 68 et 77). À l'origine destinées au combat, ces créations chargées de la force spirituelle (mana) des guerriers furent très vite considérées comme des objets de prestige essentiels à l'apparat cérémoniel. Si l'existence de ces massues est mentionnée sur plusieurs îles de l'archipel Cook, le motif sculpté à la base de la lame, semblable à celui qui évoque le regard sur les effigies de Rarotonga (notamment les Dieux-Bâtons), permet de les attribuer à cette île.

Témoignant de la virtuosité des sculpteurs des Îles Cook, cette massue se distingue par sa beauté formelle et la délicatesse de sa finition, visible dans l'extrémité du manche subtilement orné. Sculptée dans le cœur du bois de fer toa (Casuarina equisetifolia) au moyen d'outils de pierre, elle s'affirme par sa silhouette très élancée qui s'épanouit au sommet en une forme foliacée au pourtour délicatement dentelé.

Like the U’u clubs of the Marquesas Islands, the Akatara clubs of the Cook archipelago are emblematic of Polynesian art. They are, however, much rarer. From the 1820s onwards, the systematic collection of these objects by the evangelists of the London Missionary Society – in contrast to the destruction of the local idols - became a source of material for private collections and institutions, including the British Museum (inv. No. Oc.7205) as well as the prestigious Oldman Collection (Oldman, 1943, pl. 31) and the James Hooper Collection (Phelps, 1976, pls. 68 and 77.)

Originally intended for use in combat, these creations, laden with the spiritual strength of warriors (mana), were soon seen as status symbols and became an essential part of ceremonial pageantry. Although the existence of these clubs on several islands of the Cook archipelago is mentioned, the pattern carved at the base of this blade is similar to that which evokes the gaze of the Rarotonga effigies (especially that of the Staff Gods) and thus enables an attribution of this staff to the Rarotonga Island.

A testament to the virtuosity of the Cook Islands sculptors, this club stands out for its formal beauty and its delicate detailing, especially apparent in the subtly ornate tip of the shaft.  Sculpted from the core of the toa ironwood (Casuarina equisetifolia) using stone tools, its distinguished slender silhouette flourishes at the top into a foliate shape with delicately serrated edges.