Maori Mallet, New Zealand

Kevin Conru, Brussels, acquired in Perth, Western Australia
Abraham Rosman and Paula Rubel, New York, acquired from the above on February 5, 2009

Whalebone was the favoured material for the mallet used by a Maori wood carver, or tohunga whakairo, and it remained so throughout the 19^th century once metal tools had all but replaced the stone adze and chisels of old. Such valuable and highly prized objects would come to possess some of the tapu associated with their owner and could not be used by another without his permission.

The richly patinated surface of this mallet shows the nicks and marks which were left as it struck the carver’s chisel. Almost hidden amongst these marks are several fanciful scenes that have been lightly incised into the whalebone's surface, presumably by a non-Maori owner. Their naive quality provides an interesting contrast with the powerful and wonderfully well-carved head that emerges from the handle of this venerable old object.